Clean drinking water is now accessible to certain remote areas in Palawan, following the completion of a project led by Sun Life Financial-Philippines Foundation, Inc. (Sun Life Foundation) in cooperation with the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation, Inc. (Forest Foundation) and the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines (Canadian Embassy).

Its completion benefits 4,362 households or a population of 18,904 individuals in three different barangays within Palawan, including Brgy. New Busuanga in Busuanga; Brgy. 6 in Coron; and Brgy. Malaking Patag in Culion.

Initiated in January this year, the project was launched to increase the capacity of the Calamianes Watersheds and improve the availability and resilience of clean water in the islands. This was done via a two-pronged approach: by enhancing forest management and protection and by providing rainwater harvesting facilities and supporting the application of the 3R (Recharge, Retention, and Reuse) water technologies.

With these measures, the project hopes to better safeguard the Calamianes’ forests and increase their watersheds’ capacity to sustain the water needs of the population.

“We are delighted to see the completion of this project, knowing the benefits it will bring our community beneficiaries. This not only brings to life our health advocacy but likewise our sustainability priorities, as it supports biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation,” says Kristine Millete, Executive Director of the Sun Life Foundation. “We thank Forest Foundation and the Canadian Embassy for taking this journey with us and helping us touch more lives.”

Sun Life Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Sun Life Philippines.