FU joins VisMin reg’l sanitation summit exhibit

Foundation University joined various government and private groups in the exhibit—sectors during he recently held Visayas and Mindanao Regional Sanitation Summit at the Provincial Convention Center here in Dumaguete City last April 2-3, 2008.

            The theme was “Sharing Our Contribution in Building a Strong Nation Through a Sustainable Sanitation.”

            The summit was spearheaded by the Province of Negros Oriental through Governor Emilio Macias, the Department f the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Austero Panadero, and the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). Program Director Engr. Hanns – Bernal Kutcha.

            Foundation University has lauded the effort of the local government in bringing the Summit here in Dumaguete City.            The University through its has promulgated different environmental efforts which include the hosting of the nationwide 2008 Youth for Environment Summer Camp (YES-Camp) on April 28 – May 2 for Grade and High Schools and on May 4-8 for College. FU has also adopted Banica River to help rehabilitate its dying state which was once upon a time clean and generous river.

            The summit aims to bring awareness and discussed solutions to the rapid environmental degradation here in the Philippines which is also happening anywhere in the world. Visayas and Mindanao were represented by the different agencies, which held exhibits on Sustainable Sanitation. The agencies included the following, BORDA, BNS CAPS, UNICEF, PUVEP, JICA, JBIC, ADB, AusAID, Plan Philippines, UNDP, Water and sanitation program(WSP).

            The topics discussed during the Summit included “Sanitation Situationer in the Philippines, which was discussed by the Department of Health, National Septage Plan, tackled by the local Water Utilities Administration, Clean water Act by the Department of the Environment and Natural resources, Septage treatment plant Operation by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, DILG’s Role in the Sanitation Sector, Department of the Interior and Local government, Four Parallel Sanitation on Best Practices on Sustainable Sanitation.

            Problems and solutions were delineated during he forum with guests from the Department of Environment  and Natural Rsources, Local Water Utilities Administration, National Economic and Development Agency, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Finance, House of Representatives, Committee on Ecology and the Department of Health.