For years, residents of Barangay 128 in Tondo lived with the heavy burden of Metro Manila’s waste problem. Located near the old Smokey Mountain dumpsite and along Manila Bay, the community endured foul odors from rotting garbage, plastic-choked waterways, and fast-rising floods even during light rains, as local official Wendy Cañeda recalled. Today, however, conditions have greatly improved, thanks to the Eco-Ikot Center launched in October 2024.
The facility operates under the five-year Enhancement of Marine Litter Management in Manila Bay Project, a partnership between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the barangay, CORA, the Korea International Cooperation Agency, and USAID. The effort aims not just to clear waste, but to stop plastics from reaching waterways and the bay altogether. It also strengthens local waste handling systems and gives active roles to women, youth, and persons with disabilities. According to DENR Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna, this aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s push for a whole-of-society approach to clean over 190 kilometers of polluted coastline, using science-based policies, stricter local enforcement, and modern cleanup methods.
In the community, the center has changed daily habits and opened new opportunities. Residents, schools, and nearby businesses bring recyclables to be sorted and weighed, earning points exchangeable for rice, vegetables, eco-bags, clothing, and other household needs. Around five to ten people visit daily, each bringing about five to ten kilos of materials, said Rhea Villamor, one of the women who manage the facility.
For many, the project means more than cleaner surroundings. Carolina Davan, a long-time resident, now supplements her family’s income by sorting and trading recyclables, easing reliance on her husband’s earnings alone. Cañeda noted that waste segregation has become part of daily life, there is extra income for women, and more open spaces are now available for planting. Secretary Cuna said the real measure of success is what is gone: unmanaged garbage, dirty streets, and the rapid flooding that once plagued the area. For families here, the changes have brought back dignity and a better quality of life.
