Volunteers from FPIP and its locators, with local government units, collected a total of 3.2 tons of waste from two cleanup drives in San Juan RiverFirst Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP) through its subsidiary FPIP Utilities Inc. (FUI) hosted two river cleanup drives within its premises, one in September and another one in December 2023.

Hundreds of volunteers from local government units (LGUs) of Batangas, FPIP locators as well as FPIP employees and service providers waded into the San Juan River as part of FUI’s efforts to preserve, protect and develop the 3.4 kilometers of the San Juan River it adopted through the “Adopt-an-Estero/ Water Body” program.

FUI head for water resource management group Engr. Jeremaine Esguerra shared that this initiative enabled their group to collect 3.2 tons of waste from the waterway. This, however, does not end there.

“The San Juan River is one of the 21 major tributaries of Laguna de Bay and runs through FPIP. So, it is just right that we make a conscious effort to continuously protect it. We will be doing quarterly cleanups to remove waste, help increase the depth of the river and reduce the likelihood of flooding in nearby communities. We hope to clean up more waste this year.

“We will also be initiating a series of activities, including tree planting activities and awareness campaigns, to instill the importance of river protection to people and communities near the San Juan River,” Esguerra added.

In 2023, FUI took part in the “Adopt-an-Estero/Water Body” program, an ongoing program of the government that endeavors to promote the protection of different bodies of water and foster collaborations among communities along creeks and rivers, the private sector, LGUs and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources towards a cleaner and safer environment.

Esguerra said: “This initiative is consistent with FPIP’s mission of regeneration and decarbonization, echoing the goal of our parent company FPH’s goal of building a greener and more livable planet.”

FUI provides end-to-end water and wastewater services to FPIP, one of the largest and premium industrial parks in the Philippines.

(Story/Photos by:Charizze Henson)