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an interview with the honorable senator: Senator cynthia a. villar
The Sulyap Team was fortunate enough to have some questions about Villar SIPAG answered by the honorable Senator Cynthia A. Villar herself! Here are some frequently asked questions about Villar SIPAG and some answers from Senator Villar.
We here at Sulyap often think about what inspired Senator Villar to establish Villar SIPAG. When asked about what inspired her, she stated that she was inspired by the people. She wanted to empower every Filipino and their families to overcome poverty in all its forms and manifestations through hard work. A word that particularly sent this message is the Filipino word, “Sipag” which means “a great deal of effort or endurance.” Combine sipag and tiyaga, equals a solution to poverty. These also the virtues that Senator Cynthia Villar believes in. Moreover she states that poor waste management that led to the pollution of the Las Pinas Zapote River and extreme flooding in barangays are the things that lead her to innovate and lead Villar SIPAG.
Of course she wasn’t alone in the establishment of Villar SIPAG, Senator Villar states that was accompanied and helped by Founding Chairman and Former Senator Manuel “Manny” B. Villar Jr. and Vista Land as Villar SIPAG is the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of the company. Today, Villar SIPAG has various partners from the government, departments, agencies, private sector companies, individuals and schools.
With the establishment of Villar SIPAG, her personal advocacies and dreams for the community are continuously met and realized. She states that her personal advocacy for the community is to “engage and involve the residents in ensuring a clean, safe, liveable and sustainable environment for everyone.” In line with this, Villar SIPAG has created livelihood opportunities for the people as well as opportunities to learn new skills and know how.
When asked about what project she is most proud of, Senator Cynthia Villar answered that she is proud of all her projects. “I am proud of all the Villar SIPAG’s programs and projects because they all help our countrymen in various ways and aspects,” she stated.
Senator Cynthia Villar said that Villar SIPAG’s key advocacies are livelihood projects out of wastes which are environmental protection as well as assistance to overseas Filipino workers; recognition and development of community and youth enterprises through the annual Villar SIPAG Awards for Community Enterprises and Villar Youth Poverty Reduction Awards and agricultural training through its farm schools.
According to the honorable Senator, what Villar SIPAG earns just makes a full circle in the community in which Villar SIPAG serves. The earnings sustain and subsidize the operation of the programs and projects. The rest are salaries of the community residents who work for the livelihood projects.
She states that she continuously creates projects according to the needs of the times and the community. She envisions Villar SIPAG to have new enterprises or projects in the next 5 to 10 years.
“We will continue to evolve as the need arises, we will address it. We are responsive and proactive,” Senator Cynthia Villar said.
We, the Sulyap Team, would like to thank Senator Cynthia Villar for answering our questions despite her busy schedule. We only hope the best for your future endeavours as a Senator and as the director of Villar SIPAG.
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Water hyacinth paper
Las Pinas Arts and Crafts Center: Paper made in your very own backyard!
Situated in the heart of BF Resort Village, in the backyard of our beloved Las Piñas City, is the internationally awarded Las Pinas Arts and Crafts Center. It is one of the environmental livelihood projects of Senator Cynthia Villar and the city of Las Pinas. This institute is part of the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance, a non-stock, non-profit organization established by Former Senator Manuel B. Villar Jr., Senator Cynthia Villar and DPWH Secretary Mark Villar fueled by their commitment to saving the environment and providing Filipinos with sustainable livelihood programs.
The Las Pinas Arts and Crafts Center is home to numerous livelihood projects such as the Water Hyacinth Handicrafts, Charcoal Briquette Production and Citronella Massage Oil Production. They also hold classes in order to teach locals various classes about the water hyacinth production and how to make their own products in order to make a living.
Water Hyacinths otherwise known as Eichhonria crassipes is a fast-growing, aquatic plant. It has the ability to reproduce so rapidly that it can cover various bodies of water such as ponds, rivers, lakes etc. As a result, they can block sunlight that underwater plants need, congest streams and lakes, kill marine life in the process due to the decaying plant life and most notably, it causes rivers to overflow as the vegetation continuously grows in number. This was the case in the Las Piñas Zapote River when then Congresswoman, Senator Cynthia Villar decided to take action. The Las Pinas Zapote River, together with the solid waste that obstructs the Las Pinas City sewage, was one of the main causes of the floods during typhoon season.
With the help of experts and her love for the environment, Senator Cynthia Villar spearheaded the Water Hyacinth Handicrafts Livelihood Program.
Now, most of you must be wondering. What is the Water Hyacinth Handicrafts Livelihood Program?
The Water Hyacinth Handicrafts Livelihood Program is a program linked to the Villar SIPAG River Rehabilitation Social Enterprises in Las Piñas City wherein the water hyacinths that cause floods every typhoon season are collected, and sent to various Villar SIPAG Facilities in order to be made into handicrafts that can be used in everyday life. These handicrafts include the water hyacinth paper, water hyacinth storage bags, water hyacinth wine bags, and water hyacinth journals and notebooks.
There are various steps on how the Villar SIPAG workers make these products. First, after the water hyacinths are collected, they are segregated into bundles and left in the sun to dry out. Once they are dry, the water hyacinths are further segregated for the production of water hyacinth paper, water hyacinth decorative pieces and baskets.
The second step to making the water hyacinth paper is boiling them until they are soft, turning into a saturated paste like substance that can be spread out. Third, the paste like substance is left to cool and spread out on a rectangular silk screen until the are dry. Fourth, once the substance is dry and has solidified, the solidified water hyacinth substance is now left to sit in a water-chlorine mixture and then transferred to a metal plate. It is left to solidify once more in order to improve the integrity of the finished product. Lastly, once they are dry and solidified, the now formed water hyacinth paper is separated from the metal plate. Voilà! 100% environment friendly water hyacinth paper is made from locally sourced water hyacinth!
At this point, you must be wondering, “What happens at the water hyacinth decorative pieces and baskets production?”
The water hyacinth decorative pieces and baskets are also made from the dried water hyacinths. The dried water hyacinths are cut and fashioned into baskets and decorative pieces through some wood bases while some are made from 100% dried water hyacinths. Some baskets are even handwoven. Once the finished product has been made, it is blow torched then glue and varnish are applied to ensure the integrity of the baskets and decorative pieces.
The Water Hyacinth Livelihood Project is so successful that Villar SIPAG has to source water hyacinth from different locations as the Las Piñas Zapote River is now water hyacinth free. Due to its success, it this project is awarded internationally and recognized by the United Nations, where the project was awarded as the United Nations (UN) Best Water Management Practices Award in celebration of the Water for Life Decade 2011.
What was once a river nuisance is now a source of livelihood, all thanks to the great minds at Villar SIPAG. All of these products are available at the Las Pinas Arts and Crafts Center. For those who have interests in scrapbooking and journaling, we have good news for all of you! Water hyacinth journals and scrapbooks are available upon order. Go to the Las Pinas Arts and Crafts Center located in Carnival Park Street, BF Resort Village now for inquiries!
DID YOU KNOW: There are over 1,800 Villar SIPAG livelihood locations in the Philippines.
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Sulyap: Villar sipag
Your guide to local community projects and events of villar sipag.
sulyap.
v. sumulyap (-um-) to glance, to direct the eyes at.
Sulyap is your must-read online local community informational website for all the latest news and projects in Las Pinas. Since 2018, we’ve provided readers a chance to read about topics that interest them the most. From local projects to unique stories, our articles were written by a talented team of writers to help you stay in the loop about the latest trends and news in Las Pinas City.
It is an informational, social media based, community ran website that advocates awareness to unique and important local community stories and project to your screens. In this edition of Sulyap, we bring you Sulyap: Villar SIPAG.
Las Pinas Arts and Crafts Center Charcoal made from coconuts!
Yes, the Las Pinas Arts and Crafts Center - a center for environmental livelihood projects is living proof of a future for a trashless, pollution free society. Living true to its advocacy of providing livelihood to lift those in impoverished out of poverty, the brilliant minds at Villar SIPAG has done it again.
We, the Sulyap team, have a question for those who are really into barbecuing and grilling outside. Have you ever heard and used smokeless charcoal? If this is your first time hearing about smokeless charcoal, then this is the article for you culinary grillers out there!
Yes you heard us right! Smokeless charcoal briquettes made from locally sourced coconut husks. The best part is that it is completely environmentally friendly! Now, you might be wondering, how is this smokeless charcoal briquettes made?
Charcoal or “Uling” as we call it, is made in this facility through a series of steps. First, coconut husks are collected all throughout the city and is grinded in order to get the coconut fibers. Now, what happens to the coconut fibers you might ask. The coconut fibers are transferred to the Coconut Coir and Peat Enterprise facility, where coconut nets are made and some are sent to the Villar SIPAG Fertilizer Facility. You may read about the Coconut and Peat Enterprise in our different article here.
The leftovers from the grinding are transferred to another facility, the Composting Facility of the Villar SIPAG. The coconut husks are now carbonized through a special process that is much more efficient than regular carbonization of regular charcoal. Lastly, the now smokeless charcoal is left to cool. The charcoal is ultimately sold to the public also available at the Las Pinas Arts and Crafts Center. More good news? It is sold out almost everyday as it is bought by those who have respiratory complications due to its smokeless characteristic. You didn’t just save the Earth by buying these charcoal briquettes, but you also saved your respiratory system from inhaling the smoke when you burn the charcoal for your grilling!
Head down now to the Las Pinas Arts and Crafts Center, to support our local workers and avail the smokeless charcoal only for a small price of P15.
GALLERY
Isang Sulyap sa Lungsod ng Las Pinas at Villar SIPAG. A glimpse of Las pinas and Villar SIPAG
Photo Credit: Villar SIPAG Facebook Page and Sulyap Team
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Lance Anthony Altura
Project Founder - Story Researcher
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The Sulyap Team with the Las Pinas City Vice Mayor Louie Bustamante and the City Counselors.
About sulyap
Your Number One Online Information Source About Las Pinas.
Sulyap is a community driven informational website that uses multiple social media platforms to engage its readers. It was founded in 2018 as a capstone project of Lance Anthony Altura, Josemari Janathiel P. Borla, Cheyenne Chelsea B. Garcia, Alfred Joseph Javier and Maria Bianca Iris S. Lacson.
Fueled by their love for the local community, the group of friends decided to launch a program through this informational website to bring awareness to the youth of Las Pinas City and the Philippines in general.
Sulyap is here to provide you with a wide range of articles and stories covering a variety of interesting from local community projects, to local current events. We pride ourselves on combining first-rate reporting with our special editorial touch and commitment to fair coverage. We like to think of ourselves as the signal standing out from the noise of the rest of the online media landscape through efficient and effective reporting and content writing.