Garing, a mountain barangay in Cebu, won a Ford environment grant yesterday. The barangay recycled newsprint and other waste paper products into usable paper using only their bare hands. Their effort received acclaim from Sen. Loi Estrada who also that the barangay deserves high admiration and support from our country.

The students from baragay Garing who were accompanied by their volunteer teacher, Dr. Cherry Ballescas, will be honored by the Ford conservation and environmental grants program committee during a simple rite at a Makati hotel.

The students of Garing High School in Consolacion, Cebu copied the seed program of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for their own waste recycling technology. Sen. Loi Estrada speak well of the student's effort on how proper waste management helps clean the environment while showing others who are willing to do their share how it is done. She also said that what the students had done is a very good example "to the rest of the country that by such simple but noble undertaking, there may come one day the luxury of not being dependent on cut trees for paper products". Sen. Estrada added that the Garing High School example "showcases what collective effort can achieve even under dire circumstances while protecting the environment in an inexpensive and co-equal harmony between teachers and students, between parents and community."

The Solid Waste Center provided the students a study which set the motion for the paper recycling project.

The students will used the grant to build a small Paper Recycling Project (PREP) and to buy some equipment like acetate projector, shredder, water pump, microscope, sound system, digital camera and a CD writer.