BAUKO, Mountain Province – Mayor Abraham B. Akilit announced that the government’s ceramic filter plant is now producing quality ceramic clay filters for domestic and commercial needs, especially for those living in areas that are encountering serious problems on the supply of potable water for their daily requirements.
Akilit said the operation of the ceramic filter plant will definitely serve as one of the income-generating projects of the local government in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Bila Ceramic organization, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
“We are elated that the ceramic filter project of our potters in Bila is now a reality. We are optimistic that the resilience of those in charge of the plant’s operation will help in uplifting the status of the facility so that it will provide the beneficiaries with sustainable employment opportunities and income for their families,” Akilit stressed.
The local chief executive revealed that samples of the ceramic filter produced in Bila will be brought to Tabuk City, Kalinga to be displayed during the week-long regional science and technology exhibit on October 10-13, 2017 for concerned individuals and groups to be oriented on the ceramic clay filter and for them to place their orders to be used in their places.
According to him, the ceramic filter plant is now producing clay filters that will be used as samples for those wanting to place their orders to be able to maximize the use of the filters in providing sustainable supply of potable water, especially during disasters and for those in areas that have difficulty in accessing their supply of potable water.
Earlier, Dr. Nancy Bantog, DOST-CAR assistant regional director, claimed the members of the Bila Ceramic Organization already completed the required training for the mass production of the clay filter and they are now ready for the mass production of the filters to cater to the demand once orders from concerned individuals and groups will start placing their orders.
Bantog added the DOST will be working out the use of the clay filters in areas that have difficulty in accessing sufficient supply of potable water like in Tineg, Abra, Tinoc, Ifugao and Tanudan, Kalinga aside from making the filters available to cater to the potable water requirements of victims of calamities in the different parts of the region.
The Bila Ceramic Organization was chosen by the DOST and the municipal government as the beneficiaries of the project because of their experience in making clay pots plus the fact that the clay in barangay Bila passed the stringent standards imposed by the agency to serve as the major component of the ceramic filter.
Akilit expressed his gratitude to the DOST and other concerned government agencies for their continued support in making the ceramic filter plant operational considering that it will surely be an economic driver in the municipality once the facility will be able to maximize its operation through the expected increase in orders of the clay filter from concerned individuals and groups who are in need of the filter.
He claimed the ceramic filter project was funded under the DOST’s science and technology upgrading project which is geared towards assisting science and technology entrepreneurs in improving the quality of their products.