MANILA, Philippines – Water lilies won for Las Piñas City the “Best Practice Award for 2006” given by the Dubai International Awards and the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN Habitat).
The aquatic plant used to clog the 56-kilometer stretch of the Las Piñas and Zapote rivers.
For five years, members of the “Sagip Ilog project” dredged and cleaned the city’s dying rivers. They cleared the waterways of garbage and planted bamboo and other plants along the riverbanks.
Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar added a twist to the river rehabilitation program—finding profitable uses for the water lilies.
“No one liked the task of taking the water lilies out of the water. But by using the water lily stalks as raw material, people saw they would get something out of it,” Villar said.
The congresswoman marked her 57th birthday yesterday by opening another basket-weaving center at the second Las Piñas City Water Lily Festival.
The award came as a surprise to Villar, who said she did not know the Department of Environment and Natural Resources had nominated the Sagip Ilog project.
The Dubai International Award for Best Practices (DIABP) honors admirable efforts in environmental management, infrastructure, communication and transportation in over 140 countries.
Unlike other dredging projects, Sagip Ilog combined cleaning, greening, and livelihood to stand out among 650 nominees.
Tags: Awards, Environment, Local Governments
