ALIAGA, Nueva Ecija – At least 1,700 households in a village here received access to free purified drinking water courtesy of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Manila and its Japan counterpart Friday afternoon, June 14.
On top of the water purifying station, the residents of Barangay San Juan here, headed by barangay chair Ghia Javaluyas, also received from JCI Manila and JCI Japan mushroom growing, hydroponics and integrated tilapia raising projects to augment their food supplies.
The projects which amounted to more than P1 million that were stationed at the barangay hall compound were inaugurated and formally turned over to the barangay by JCI Manila president Charles Mathew Gosingtian, project chair Eikon Conrad Javaluyas, and director for community development Charles Ratclifee, Jr. with JCI Japan project chair Shuntaro Sumi and project vice chair Hirotaka Kani.
The activity was attended by Aliaga Vice Mayor Erwin Javaluyas, the village chair’s husband, and hundreds of residents who also got free water containers.
The village head said there will be no limit as to the volume of drinking water the residents would fetch as to satisfy the need for safe potable water of their constituents.
The village has assigned people to operate the water purifying machines.
“Ito po naman ay leveled-up potable water system,” she said. “Lahat po ay welcome dito sa ating bagong water purifying station na biyaya sa atin ng JCI Japan at JCI Manila,” she added.
“Kakaunti lamang ito (projects) pero galing ito sa aming mga puso,” said Shuntaro in Nihongo.
Gosingtian said they extended the project to providing tilapia raising and mushroom growing facilities to help cushion the impact of surging food prices for beneficiaries.
“Sa ganitong paraan ay makatutulong kami sa ating bansa. And today, napakalaking tulong ng JCI Japan sa atin mostly sa pagbibigay ng financial support,” Gosingtian said.
Javaluyas, the project manager, said they opted to establish water purifying station in the barangay upon learning that several cases of amoebiasis have been recorded in the locality.
The village officials, via a memorandum of agreement, vowed to maintain the facilities and make them sustainable.
