An orientation on the Three-Year Ridge-to-Reef Project in Bauang was held last September 23, 2024, facilitated by the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) in partnership with the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation, funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation. The orientation was about solid waste management that saw the participation of five (5) out of 11 junk shop owners in Bauang. Other stakeholders in the project are the 22 coastal and riverside barangays of Bauang, as well as other Municipalities in La Union surrounding the Naguilian River (Bagulin and Naguilian) and the Baroro River (San Juan, Bacnotan, and San Gabriel).

The Ridge to Reef (R2R) approach, according to pacific-r2r.org, is a ‘‘whole-of-ecosystem’ or integrated management approach. In Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS), Ridge to Reef refers to integrated approaches to freshwater and coastal area management emphasizing the inter-connections between the natural and social systems from the mountain ‘ridges’ of volcanic islands, through coastal watersheds and habitats, and across coastal lagoons to the fringing ‘reef’ environments associated with most PSIDS.

The role of the junk shop owners will be the waste diversion from sanitary landfills.

This is a nod to the vision of Municipal Mayor Eulogio Clarence Martin P. De Guzman III to make Bauang a Green City by 2030.

More information about the three-year project will be released soon.

Written by: Korina Esteban-Ma | Photographed by: Cris Jaime Balbuena