West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) recently visited Bacoor City for the turnover of capital for a fisherfolk cooperative and the signing of an agreement to bring back the mangrove trees in Manila Bay.
Maynilad helped establish the Mamamayan Para sa Lambat at Dagat Multi-Purpose Cooperative in 2011 and helped the indigent fisherfolk of Bacoor City with a seed capital totaling ₱1.6 million. Maynilad guided the cooperative in projects such as micro-financing, a fishing supplies store, a four-hectare seashell culture and training for mussel and oyster farmers.
Maynilad, DENR and local government officials led by Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla joined the ceremonial planting for the Plant for Life Mangrove Planting Program, which involved the planting of 5,000 propagules along the Bacoor portion of Manila Bay. Mangroves will absorb pollutants in the water and help enrich fishing grounds, which should help enhance the yield of the shellfish farms.
The activity demonstrates Maynilad’s efforts to harmonize initiatives and engage different stakeholders in uplifting the lives of communities within its service area.
Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of customer base. It is a concessionaire of the MWSS for the West Zone of the Greater Manila Area, which is composed of the cities of Manila (all but portions of San Andres & Sta. Ana), Quezon City (west of San Juan River, West Avenue, EDSA, Congressional, Mindanao Avenue, the northern part starting from the Districts of the Holy Spirit & Batasan Hills), Makati (west of South Super Highway), Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon all in Metro Manila; the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario, all in Cavite Province.
In Photo: Bacoor Representative Lani Mercado-Revilla is flanked by Maynilad officials Patrick Gregorio, Francisco Arellano, and Andrew Pangilinan in the “Mamayan Para Sa Lambat at Dagat†event held in Cavite.