Quezon residents end their long struggle for water

Quezon residents end their long struggle for water

It took 14 long years before Arnel Ricamara and his fellow residents in Barangay San Pedro in Mulanay, Quezon to finally enjoy the benefits of a potable water system installed near their homes.

“Back then, we needed to walk two kilometers to fetch water from the river or through a spring because our deep wells do not have enough water supply. Others use their carabao sleds or ride their horse-drawn carriages in going to the spring to save time. Most often, we arrive home with just a few water-filled buckets left because the water from other containers would have spilled over as we pass through rough and muddy roads. Every summer, all our deep wells would dry up and we would line up to fetch water from just one deep well left for our immediate needs. Some would opt to buy drinking water from the nearest town,” said Ricamara, Barangay Councilor and President of the Magsasakang Sinusulong ang Organikong Pagsasaka (MASINOP), a local people’s organization in their province.

Brgy. San Pedro’s situation is not far from the plight of many communities in the country. This is the reason Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) has been rallying its member companies, partners, and donors to help in providing water to waterless communities. One of its biggest supporters of the Potable Water System projects is San Miguel Foundation.

ENGAGING THE PEOPLE

Around 300 households and students from San Pedro Elementary School are now benefiting from a steady supply of potable water coming from the eight tap stands installed in strategic locations around the barangay.

To ensure the sustainability of the water system, PBSP tapped MASINOP members to participate in the construction of the potable water system and also trained them on the maintenance and improvement of the facility.

Ricamara is happy to continually play a major role in the realization of this dream of their community.

“It took just two weeks after I helped search for donors for the water system, then PBSP already brought San Miguel. I used to work for a water system project before and also attended several trainings on water sanitation so I shared my knowledge and helped train MASINOP members on water system management. Since we are the beneficiaries of this gift of San Miguel to San Pedro, we hold the responsibility of taking care of the water system as a sign of our gratitude to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is one step for us to move forward. This is like a rough road that was concretized by San Miguel and PBSP, and our role is to make good use of it to improve our lives,” said Ricamara.

To maximize the benefits of the water system, the community of Barangay San Pedro plans to put up an organic vegetable farm as an additional source of income for them. Part of the money that will be generated from the sales of their produce will also be used to pay for expenses from the maintenance and improvement of the facility.