Toilet for toilet-less household project

At night, the space between these colorful fishing boats usually serves as “toilet” for most of the seashore dwellers. - MWBuzzpic by AP HERNANDEZ

PROVIDING toilet to toilet-less homes in Parang is one proposal that should be given consideration by the community and the local government.

According to Aldrin Toribio, himself a Mambulaoan and a motivational speaker, the absence of toilets in many households in Parang, particularly those along the shore of Mambulao Bay, has contributed much in human waste pollution along the beach.

Toribio sounded off his idea in a Facebook message to MWBuzz recently, stressing that since these households don’t have toilets, the tendency for its members is to dispose of their excreta along the shore.

This appalling condition of the Parang beach has long discouraged people to do leisurely walk along the bay “to shoot the breeze”, especially in the afternoon, he said.

MWBuzz had witnessed lately how household rubbish was being dumped along the beach. 

The entire length of the beach is carpeted with community rubbish and other waste pollutants

Toribio said that the local baranggay should take charge in doing a survey to find out households without toilets.

Parang has 5,754 people in 645 households under the 2007 national census.

“Once they have been identified, we can start finding ways to provide them one,” Toribio said.

Noting that this program would require substantial funding, he said: “We could outsource from the members of the baranggay, businesses, businessmen, politicians, NGOs, sponsors and overseas workers from Mambulao.

“We can save on the cost of manpower by tapping local labor who would contribute their time in building a toilet … ala-bayanihan style”, Toribio said.

The male members of the household should give what is called “sweat equity”. 

This simply means that they will help in the project, Toribio said.

He said that this concept of community tie-up to push development in Mambulao has been one of the concepts he has been advocating through Unlad Panganiban Movement, of which he is the founder.

The LGU should do a survey of households in Parang to find out how many of them are without toilets, especially those along the seashore and those living next to the mangrove swamps. Then, the municipal government should put up funding to provide each of them a toilet, a suggestion from Unlad Panganiban Movement (UPM), saying it’s the only way to keep a healthy environment. - MWBuzzpic by AP HERNANDEZ