Alaminos, Pangasinan – The city of Alaminos and the province of Pangasinan recently received help from the Metro Pacific Investment Corporation (MPIC) after being battered by a typhoon which flooded much of the province.
Melody M. Del Rosario, President of the MPIC Foundation, Inc. (MPIF), spearheaded a team of volunteers from the company, and the Shore It Up, MPIF’s nationwide environmental awareness initiative, to bring dozens of portable tabletop water filters for families of the local Core Shelter Assistance Program of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The units were used to provide safe drinking water to the families affected by the recent calamity.
“This area is frequently flooded during storms and causes potential health problems especially for children,” explained Del Rosario.
The volunteers likewise brought over a hundred mangrove seedlings which were immediately planted in the area over the weekend.
ECOSYSTEM BOOST
The mangrove center has given Alaminos a boost in terms of preserving its coastal ecosystem with the construction over the past two years of a sprawling 8.17-hectare mangrove, and bird-watching area.
The center serves as a focal point for the development of mangrove nurseries, multiplication and planting of mangrove trees in coastal estuarine areas, and rehabilitation of the province’s degraded mangrove ecosystem.
“We also brought more mangrove seedlings to increase the number of trees, especially here in Barangay Bued,” Del Rosario said. “The mangrove is a vital ecosystem, and the MPIC Foundation intends to propagate it through Shore It Up, our flagship environmental sustainability program.”
“The LGU of Alaminos would like to thank MPIC for its support to the communities here, and its continuous advocacy to preserve our mangrove park,” said Miguel L. Sison, city tourism officer of Alaminos. “The park is one of the biggest attractions here in Alaminos, which after the hundred islands eco-tour, is our top draw for tourists and young people interested in protecting the environment.”
SIU merchandise were also brought in by the volunteers to be sold at the Alaminos Mangrove Propagation and Information Center, the proceeds of which will go to the maintenance of the center and allowances of its Eco-Guides.
SPREADING THE WORD
The MPIC Foundation has been carrying out similar mangrove propagation programs in other parts of the country such as Del Carmen town in Siargao Island and in Bohol. These delicate coastal woodlands provide food and shelter for a diverse group of fish and shellfish and provide protection from storm surges and high winds.
Mangroves also serve as a wildlife sanctuary, and protect against soil erosion and sedimentation in the sea which degrades coral reefs.
Del Rosario revealed that the MVP Group of Companies is scouting for other communities in the Philippines to complete the nationwide presence of mangrove centers under Shore It Up.