In a bid to promote a deeper appreciation of the water trail processes, Manila Water gave a guided tour to the first batch of teachers from the East Zone of Metro Manila through its “SALIN-Lakbayan Para Sa Mga Guro” Program in observance of the Environment Month this June.

SALIN’s pilot batch was composed of 15 teachers from Balara Elementary School, Tandang Sora Elementary School, Culiat Elementary School, New Era Elementary School, and Pasong Tamo Elementary School. Manila Water’s Advocacy and Research Department treated the faculty members to a whole-day guided tour, which covered the whole water trail from the raw water source (Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water systems) to the treatment process and distribution of potable water all the way to the treatment of wastewater before discharging back to the rivers.

"Maraming salamat sa pag-imbita sa amin. Nag-enjoy kami sa iba’t ibang dam, at marami kaming natutuhan [Thank you for inviting us. We enjoyed visiting the different dams. We learned a lot]," Balara Elementary School teacher Gilbert Miral said.

In photo: SALIN Batch 1 participants with Manila Water personnel at the Angat Dam viewdeck.

Along with the water trail tour, the teachers also participated in a workshop on the various sustainability advocacies of Manila Water, especially in protecting the watersheds. These environmental advocacies support the company’s adherence to the United Nations Sustainability Goals.

"Teachers are our greatest allies in promoting the value of water to the next generation. Protection of our watersheds begins when there is appreciation of their value. This is what the SALIN (which literally means ‘to transfer’) program was designed to do," Manila Water Corporate Communications Affairs Group Director Jeric Sevilla said.

Manila Water’s SALIN is a partnership program with the Department of Education – National Capital Region, that aims to cascade its advocacies to the students through their teachers. The program caters to public school teachers within its concession zone. It is done in batches of 15–20 teachers from five schools and will run for the next four years. Over 700 teachers from 170 schools are expected to participate in the SALIN workshop.