The Manila City government on Wednesday entered into an agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to minimize open defecation affecting the Manila Bay.
The supplemental memorandum of agreement was signed by Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and DENR Director for Administrative Services Rolando Castro.
Under the project “Kubeta Ko”, portable toilets will be placed in Parola, Tondo to provide “dignified toilet facilities” to informal settler families (ISFs).
“The City of Manila, a local government unit of the Republic of the Philippines and the capital city of the Philippines, has signified its support to the rehabilitation of Manila Bay especially the provision of dignified temporary toilet facilities for informal settler families,” the agreement reads.
The project also aims to “to immediately stop and minimize open defecation by ISFs into Manila Bay” in line with the ongoing rehabilitation of the area.
A total of P10 million were allotted by the DENR to the City of Manila for the project and an additional P5 million for the city “to cover the operational costs during the implementation of the project.”
The project will be using the viable portable, container-based toilet technology developed by Loowat, Limited. The said company also managed to secure funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation for the ‘Kubeta Ko’ project.
The project is also in coordination with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and Maynilad Water Services and will be effective for one year.