Parola residents to receive 400 portable toilets

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has inked an agreement with the Manila City government, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and private water concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. to provide temporary sanitation facilities to the Parola area in Tondo, one of the most depressed areas in the capital.

Under “Project: Kubeta Ko,” at least 400 portable, container-based toilets will be provided to informal settler families to address the human waste problem in Manila Bay.

Both the DENR and the Manila City government earlier identified Parola as an “open defecation hotspot,” with many residents who live in stilt houses openly dumping their waste into the heavily polluted bay.

Under the memorandum of agreement, the DENR will extend P10 million in financial assistance to the city government, with a contribution of $160,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

This will cover the project implementation, including operational costs, for one year.

The local government is expected to install, test and maintain the facilities and orient the residents.

The MWSS, on the other hand, will monitor the project and provide necessary assistance while Maynilad will be responsible for waste treatment.

The Department of Health said last year that some 3.5 million Filipinos did not have sanitary toilets. Of this number, the majority live in Metro Manila.