Manila Water and Manila Water Foundation handed over the second batch of refrigerated drinking fountains (RDFs) for Quezon City schools through Project Drink 72. This is a synergy project with the Local Government of Quezon City and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).

Under MWF’s flagship program Lingap Eskwela, Project Drink 72 aims to support the health and hydration needs of learners, teachers and staff in 72 Quezon City school campuses. At the Vito Belarmino Senior High School, Manila Water Foundation and its partners handed over 17 units of RDFs for Quezon City Schools with a total of 17,000 learners. With this handover, Project Drink 72 is more than halfway its goal: 39 schools now have installed refrigerated drinking fountains.

Project Drink 72 supports the WASH in Schools or Wins program of the OK (Oplan Kalusugan) sa DepEd and the Matatag agenda of the Department of Education. The Project encourages the learners and teachers to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and to weaken dependency on single-use P.E.T. bottles. Drinking kits with water tumblers were also handed out to the learners of Vito Belarmino Senior High School. Elementary school learners also received Happy Meal toys from MWF’s partner, Ronald McDonald House Charities of McDonald’s Philippines.

Project Drink 72 aims to provide RDFs to 72 public schools in Quezon City to help create a conducive learning environment for public school students. With this handover, Project Drink 72 is more than halfway its goal: 39 schools now have installed refrigerated drinking fountains.

Aside from the host school, an RDF unit will also be handed over to following Quezon City schools: 15th Avenue Elementary School, Aguinaldo Elementary School, Bagumbayan Elementary School, Camarilla Elementary School, Camp Gen. E. Aguinaldo High School, Carlos P. Garcia High School and Cubao Elementary School. Part of the list of Project Drink 72 school partners include Don Quintin Paredes High School, Dona Josefa E. Marcos Elementary School, Eulogio Rodriguez Sr. Elementary School, Fort Aguinaldo Elementary School, Jose P. Laurel, Sr. High School, Juan Sumulong High School, Kalantiaw Elementary School, Libis Elementary School, and Quirino Elementary School.

The Project Drink 72 handover is made special with the partnership of the MWSS Regulatory Office through its Gender and Development program where 100 hygiene kits were handed over to learners, with sanitary items especially for girls.

MWF President and MWC President and CEO J.V. Emmanuel “Jocot” De Dios was present and joined the panel of special guests including Quezon City District III Representative Franz Pumaren, MWSS Regulatory Office Deputy Administrator for Administration and Legal Affairs, and the Chairperson of the Gender and Development Focal Point System Atty. Claudine Orocio-Isorena. Representing MWSS Administrator Engineer Leonor Cleofas was MWSS Deputy Administrator for Management Services Group Walter Bartosa. Graciously receiving the donations on behalf of the Department of Education was the Quezon City Schools Division Superintendent Carleen Sedilla, who was joined by the School Heads of 17 Quezon City Schools.

Pumaren reminisced about his student life where there is no available potable water on their campus. “Lubos kaming nagpapasalamat sa Manila Water at MWSS para sa proyektong ito kung saan nagbibigay ng malinis na inuming tubig para sa mga mag-aaral ng Quezon City,” he said.