LGUs honored on Manila Bay efforts

THE government has awarded outstanding cities and municipalities for their contributions to rehabilitate and protect the Manila Bay watershed and for being compliant with the Philippine Fisheries Code.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. the eight local government units (LGUs) receiving the Manila BaYani Awards and Incentives and five recognized through Fisheries Compliance Audit are testaments to their efforts to protect the country’s body of water and natural resources.

The DILG chief urged LGUs to continue protecting the coastal areas and aquatic resources, saying “there’s more to be done, especially in the face of climate change.”

Among the MBAI awardees for 2018 to 2020 are Baliuag (Bulacan), Kalayaan (Laguna), and Magallanes (Cavite) for the Municipal category; while Balanga (Bataan), Biñan (Laguna), Imus (Cavite), Makati City, and Navotas City bagged the award for the City category.

For the year 2021, the local governments of Biñan and Kalayaan (Laguna), Baliuag (Bulacan), and Balanga (Bataan) were recognized anew for the MBAI Award.

The MBAI Award aims to incentivize LGUs and recognize their exemplary performance in advancing effective waste management, uplifting the welfare, safety, and living conditions of informal settler families and the general public, promoting the protection of coastal and marine resources, and strengthening their institutional mechanisms, all of which contribute to the rehabilitation and protection of Manila Bay.