THE SM Supermalls and United Children’s Fund (Unicef) recently completed the last phase of its Drink for 2 campaign in Masbate with the turnover of the water and sanitation facility to Umabay Elementary School.

Mobo, Masbate Mayor Percival Castillo and Department of Education (DepEd) division superintendent Gilbert Sadsad graced the turnover ceremonies, symbolically receiving the facilities from the project partners. Unicef’s WASH consultant Tim Grieve and social policy analyst Atty. Grace Agcaoili, and SM Supermalls assistant vice president (AVP) for marketing Dennis Cruz and AVP for mall operations and program director for the youth and children’s welfare Royston Cabuñag.

It was in 2008, around the time Earth Day and the International Year of Sanitation were being celebrated, when Drink for 2 was launched. This fundraising campaign was launched to bring clean water to the children of Masbate, where access to safe drinking water and sanitary toilets has been a concern.

Masbate was chosen as the pilot stop of this project because of its meager water resources-only six out of 10 households have access to safe water, and four out of 10 have access to basic sanitary facilities. likewise, diarrhea is the third leading cause of death among children in this Bicol province.

SM Supermalls, through SM Cares, partnered with Unicef and its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Program in this two-year project that includes the construction of community water-supply facilities, school toilets and lavatories, and the promotion of hygiene education and Vitamin A supplementation of schoolchildren. Since 2008 the campaign has raised funds exceeding its P2-million target. This allowed the local government units in Masbate to fund WASH project sites in three municipalities that include two community level water supply and systems located in barangays Guiom in Cawayan, and Tawad in Esperanza; as well as improved water and sanitation facilities in six public schools-the Guiom Elementary School in Cawayan; the Trangia-Mahusay, San Roque, Santiago and Tawad Elementary Schools in Esperanza; and the Umabay Elementary School Annex in Mobo.

As such, mall goers who purchased SM Supermalls bottled water were able to bring clean drinking water, and improved toilets and lavatories to 1,833 people from 379 households and 1,383 schoolchildren from six public schools in three municipalities in Masbate.

With the turnover in Masbate completed, Drink for 2 now goes on its second phase, expanding its coverage to Capiz, where 40 percent of the households do not have access to clean water or basic sanitation facilities. With every purchase of SM Supermalls bottled water available at all SM Foodcourts and mall-food kiosks, two children will benefit from safe drinking water and sanitation for one day.

Photo shows Grieve, Atty. Agcaoili, Cruz, Cabuñag, Mobo National High School principal Noel Aban, Mayor Castillo and Sadsad during the ‘project turnover and ribbon-cutting ceremonies.