“There is no Planet B. We have only one planet, and so we must all care for Mother Earth.”
Bobby Joseph stands by his words as he makes notable contributions to safeguard the environment while promoting tourism.
Sustainable farm tourism
Inspired by his advocacies for sustainable tourism and helping people, he worked with Gawad Kalinga founder Tony Meloto and established Paraiso Village Farm two years ago. Paraiso is a sustainable farm in San Jose, Batangas which aims to support the farmers and their families in the community.
The farmers grow fruit-bearing trees, vegetables, and root crops, which support the community especially during the quarantine.
“We also give the families free housing, water, and lights,” shared Joseph.
His family also built a chapel dedicated to his son Richard who passed away in 2017. They are also constructing a multi-purpose hall in the village farm which can be used for seminars and events. They have started building toilets as well.
“We are expanding the farm and growing more trees and vegetables. The farmers are marketing and distributing the farm produce weekly. We also support other farmers to distribute their harvest, helping them sell in subdivisions without middlemen getting involved in the transactions.”
According to Joseph, they also teach the farmers values, skills, and positive attitude, and show them opportunities to rise and shine.
Save Manila Bay
When Joseph was appointed Commodore of the Manila Yacht Club in November 2018, he strongly pursued his advocacy to save and restore Manila Bay’s lost glory. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu took on the challenge in December 2018. And in January 2019, Joseph, together with Sec. Cimatu, launched the Save Manila Bay project in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Manila (RCM) where he formerly served as director and now president.
On July 30 this year, Sec. Cimatu and Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Danilo Lim invited Rotarian IPP Jack Rodriguez and Joseph to the inauguration and blessing of the solar-powered sewage treatment plant (STP).
The 500,000-liter daily capacity treatment plant, which is now fully operational, is located in front of the Manila Yacht Club (MYC). The STP connects three major drainage outflows between the US Embassy and the MYC.
To prevent overwhelming the STP, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno promised to install STPs at Manila Zoo and Ospital ng Maynila. Other establishments in the area will also have to comply with the order.
Sec. Cimatu advised two to three more solar STPs will be constructed in Las Piñas, Parañaque, and Cavite to sustain the cleanliness of the Bay.
“Today, we are supporting the cleanup that would take six years in the making because Manila Bay is connected with Metro Manila, Cavite, Zambales, Laguna, Pampanga, Bulacan, and Bataan,” said Joseph.
“We have started meetings with the Rotary Club of Metro Cebu and the Rotary Club of Cebu. Our program is to encourage Rotary Clubs in the country to conduct seminars on waste management in every barangay with the support of DENR and DILG. We can reduce waste through segregation and composting. We shall adopt the training program for barangays with the help of DENR and Atty. Tony Oposa, a well-renowned environmentalist.”
International School of Sustainable Tourism
Joseph also serves as vice chairman of the International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST), with former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor as chairman.
ISST is the first sustainable tourism school in the Asia-Pacific region educating a new generation of leaders. It organizes three webinars monthly on farm tourism and events management.
In July, it organized a series of webinars on “Sustainable Tourism Opportunities for Entrepreneurship” in partnership with Global Ecotourism Network and Asian Ecotourism Network, and in cooperation with Green Architecture Advocacy Philippines.
Rotary Club of Manila Tree Planting
“We Rotarians are catalysts of change and we strive for a better Philippines,” said Joseph.
One of the club’s commitments is carrying out projects targeted at fostering environmental protection. One noteworthy project of RCM is the national tree planting chaired by Jackie Rodriguez, with a mission to help solve the country’s ecological and environmental problems. The club aspires to help raise awareness of the importance of planting trees.