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Sunday, June 25, 2006
Water advocates launch 'Blue Drop Campaign'
STRESSING the value of water as a basic foundation of life and the need to defend the people's right to water, members of Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) launched Saturday its 'Blue Drop Campaign,' in time for the celebration of the feast day of St. John the Baptist.
"It is very disturbing that water is treated not as a basic human right that should be enjoyed by all, but as an income-generating consumer product. This is the reason why the Blue Drop Campaign also aims to expose this appalling scenario to the people," FDC vice president for water campaign Francis Isaac said.
The group distributed clean drinking water along with posters and leaflets of Blue Drop to local residents of the municipality of San Juan. They then began the festivities with a motorcade, which also involved local government officials, and held a separate program afterwards.
"Water, according to the United Nations' General Comment No. 15 to the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, is the most basic among all human rights. Hence, it should not be utilized to serve the interest of profit-seeking corporate water service providers, because everybody should have ample water supply," Isaac stressed.
The group also said water is irreplaceable, for its functions in human life extend from one's performance of daily tasks, such as bathing and cooking, to the preservation of life itself.
"It is these facts that justify the need to promote the creation of a culture of water, which aims to emphasize the significant role that water plays throughout a human being's life, and to bring further motivation for people to uphold and secure their right to access water as a public service," added Isaac.
Saturday's launching of the Blue Drop Campaign, Isaac said, would serve as a springboard of consequent campaigns in the months to come, ensuring the involvement of different sectors in highlighting the truth that water should be treated as a human right for all and not as a commodity. (Press release)
(June 25, 2006 issue)
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