PARISH OF THE RISEN CHRIST SMOKEY MOUNTAIN, TONDO MANILA

PRESS RELEASE

DAILY MIRACLES IN SMOKEY MOUNTAIN

ECOLOGICAL WASTE; TRAINING AND LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMS LAUNCHED IN SMOKEY MOUNTAIN

On February 14, 2003 at 2:00 PM, the Parish of the Risen Christ Center for Learning and parish cooperative will be formally inugurating the Smokey Mountain Recovery Center, its computer school and its livelihood center with former Presidenmt Corazon C. Aquino and H.E. Ambassador Herbert Jess of Germany heading the list of special guests. These efforts of the parist cooperative are strongly supported by the German community.

The Parish of the Risen Christ was erected in Smokey Mountain by Jaime Cardinal Sin on March 27, 1989 at the request of Rev. Father Cornelio Alpuerto, of the Society of the Divine Word. Father Benigno Beltran, SVD, Parish Priest of the Parish of the Risen Christ has been working with the Smokey MOuntain scavenger families under the Basic Christian Community (BCC) with the goal of people emprowerment through toatal and integral development.

BCC's concept is for people becoming the best they can through self-help and assistance from communities with strong social commitments fro the transfortation of the Philippine society. BCC was formulated for implememtation by the 2nd Plenary Council of the Bishops of the Philippines. The work is on Three levels, spiritual, economical and historical. The Smokey Mountain scavengers are determined to struggle for thier rights as of the citizens of the republic and to have dignity as human beings acknowlegded. This is proven by the various programs the parish cooperation has successfully launched in Smokey Mountain.

Smokey Mountain Recovery Center

Smokey Mountain has been referred to as the largest dumpsite in the world and has been referred to as a national disgrace. But, today through the efforts of Father Benigno Beltran, SVD, Parish Priest of the Parish of the Risen Christ, Smokey Mountain scavengers have organized the Smokey Mountain Resource Recovery Center and are now among the few communities nationwide practicing acological waste management.

The Smokey MOuntain Resource Recovery Center processes almost a ton of compost per day from the community's kitchen waste. It likewise started production of liquid compost is being sold at P150 per 50 kilo sack, while liquid compost is sold at P100 per 1 liter bottle. The Center has also entered into contracts with public and private schools to collected segregated waste for recovery of recyclable materials. Twenty tons of waste is collected daily from which the center earns P2,500 to P3,000 per day. The recyclable materials recovery program alone supports 50 workesr per day. The Center has also started propagation and marketing of ornamental plants and organic vegetables.

Among the strong supporters of the Smokey Mountain REcovery Center are from the German community. Among these are Dr. Christoh Dieckmann & BhF- Europe through whose efforts acquired a garbage compactor with conveying feeding mechanism and a truck with lifting mechanism for the Smokey Mountain Recovery Center and the Pro-Environment Consortium.

The Pro-Environment Consortium includes Rethmann Recycling GmbH of Luenen, Germany. Rethmann is among the top ten waste management companies and is the largest recycling company in the world. The Pro-Environment Consurtium won the bidding for Metro Manila's build-operate-own (BOO) project for the processing and disposal of 2,000 tons of Metro Manila waste per day, of out Metro Manila's 8,000 to 10,000 tons of waste generated daily. Prior to the project bidding, inasmuch as Smokey Mountain residents' prime livelihood was scavenging, Pro-Environment Consortium coordinated with Father Beltran to integrate the Smokey Mountain Recovery Center into the BOO project. In this manner scanvengers will not be dislocated, rather they will undergo safety and operational training and given the opportunity to have more stable income and didnity in thier profession.

TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Acomputer school was initiated by the Being Human Foundation- Asia, Inc. with JOhannes Jahns as Executive Director to provide the opportunity for Smokey Mountain residents to be computer literate. Being Foundation likewise maintains 66 full scholarships nationwide. A computer server has been donated to the school by Siemens.

The parish likewise have formal and non-formal educational programs supported not only by Being Human Foundation, but by other German Foundation based on Oberhausen and headed by Mr. Lutz Ruhloff. Currently, the parish has 200 formal education scholars and 200 non-fromal scholars.

LIVELIHOOD PROGRAM

The parish cooperative set up the God's Kraft livelihood Center for the Smokey Mountain residents. Among the center's trades include sewing and cooking, steel works, tile works, furniture production, bags and accessories production out of old newspapers and telehone directories. The livelihood center is supervised by the Couples for Christ.

The Pro-Environment Consortium - Rethmann Recycling GmbH of Luenen, Germany and its partners, Freddie Campos, Nonoy Yulo and Juergen Lorenz donated 38 sewing machines to the center, which is now providing livelihood to the women of Smokey Mountain. The center recently completed the delivery of 10,000 t-shirts.

The parish cooperative has likewise embarked on micro-financing program which started with a capital of 350,000. Women members are allowed to borrow an initial P5, 000 for investment in small businesses. To- date there are no defaults in repayment.

SMOKEY MOUNTAIN YOUTH TRIP TO GERMANY

Father Beltran and his environmental youth group, Children of Mother Health, through songs and dances of the indigenous tribes in the Philippines call on everyone to join the race to save the earth. The youth group, whose members are also scholars of the parist, will be in Germany April and May of this year to perform is several cities. The tour is through the efforts of Mr. Lutz Ruhloff of the (PhilGer.e.V) Philippines-German Foundation, Oberhausen.

GIFT OF LOVE BY GERMANS

The inauguration of the various programs supported by the German community, to be witnessed by former President Corazon Aquino and German Ambassador Herbert Jess specifically coincides with Valentine's Day (February 14, 2003) to symbolize that German community is one with Father Beltran in his love and care for his parishioners. Environmental groups, non-goverment organizations Philippines legislators and the media are also cordially invited to the affair.

Father Beltran is continously soliciting assistance for Smokey Mountain to fulfill his dream for the scavengers to achieve economic success and as importantly, spiritual, physical and mental health.