UK lawmakers buy gifts in community near Manila dumpsite

Two lawmakers from the United Kingdom (UK) have done their Christmas shopping, aided by a British charity worker, in a community near a Manila dumpsite. UK Members of Parliament (MP) Mark Pritchard and Kenneth Clarke visited the Philippine Christian Foundation (PCF) Community School where they bought handicrafts, the British Embassy said on Thursday. The products were made through the school’s livelihood program, it added. Bags, stuffed toys and jewelry sold through the program are made from recycled materials such as old magazines, soda can tabs and extra tetra packs. Most of these items are exported to the UK, but some are also sold in local shops around Metro Manila, the embassy said. The school’s livelihood program was formulated by Jane Walker, who also organized the community. Although it receives funding from private sponsors and donors, the livelihood program was established to allow the school to become financially independent, Walker said. “PCF wants to give these children all the needs that they deserve in order to make better, more informed choices to live fuller lives," Walker said. “In the long run, we hope that through our organization, our beneficiaries can start life anew outside of the dumpsite." Walker also accompanied the two MPs to the site of a new school building under construction. Made of twenty-foot metal containers, the structure was designed by volunteer engineers and architects belonging to the Philippines’ expatriate community. Expected to be completed by June next year, the new structure will serve 1,000 elementary and high school students. A ceremony will be held in January that will be attended by former British Ambassador Peter Beckingham and his wife Jill. Mrs. Beckingham recently completed a 60-mile charity walk in England to raise about £4,500 (P333,848) for the new school. In the first quarter of 2010, the PCF plans to build a communal toilet block made of shipping containers to address the lack of facilities in the area. The PCF also plans to set up a birthing clinic beside the community health center that will offer free seminars and health services to expectant mothers, including free ligation. These projects will benefit the 2,000 families at the dumpsite. “I hope in the future, all of the PCF’s projects can be turned over and fully operated by our beneficiaries," Walker said. Walker also toured the two MPs in the area, allowing them to visit an older school house that serves 400 to 500 students in two shifts, morning and afternoon. Besides giving beneficiaries free school supplies, uniforms and shoes, students are also provided with daily meals, cooked and served by their parents. Pritchard and Clarke, who visited the country last week, congratulated the PCF for its exemplary work, and promised to spread the word when they go back to Britain. During their stay in Manila, the lawmakers visited various government offices, universities and British companies. They also went to Subic for some birdwatching, a popular pastime in Britain. — RJAB, Jr./NPA/GMANews.TV