Plastic to Progress: How Solo Parents in BASECO Are Turning Trash into Triumph

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

In the shadow of Manila’s concrete skyline and along the murky edges where the Pasig River meets the sea, lies BASECO – a community long synonymous with hardship. A sprawling urban poor settlement housing over 100,000 residents, BASECO has often been overlooked in the city’s rapid development. But in the midst of adversity, a quiet revolution is underway—led not by politicians or billionaires, but by solo parents turning waste into wealth.

The Pure Bayanihan Project: A Movement Rooted in Hope

Spearheaded by Pure Incubation Foundation’s flagship program, Pure Bayanihan, this community-driven initiative reimagines what’s possible when environmental responsibility meets economic empowerment. At its heart, the program provides solo parents with ₱10,000 in seed capital—not as a handout, but as a catalyst.

The idea is refreshingly simple yet powerfully effective:

Solo parents invest the capital to buy plastic waste from neighbors

The waste is sold to recycling partners

Profits are reinvested to keep the cycle going

With each transaction, these waste warriors not only put food on the table but also reduce the plastic clogging BASECO’s esteros, coastlines, and streets. It’s an ecosystem of sustainability—financial, environmental, and social—taking root in one of Metro Manila’s most marginalized areas.

Empowering Women, Cleaning Communities

Engineer Richard Peñaflor, the project coordinator, captures the heart of the initiative:

“We thought we were just cleaning waterways. But we realized we were cleaning up people’s lives too.”

This transformation is most vivid in the stories of people like Rhenia Baldoz, a 52-year-old solo parent of three.

“That capital gave us a fighting chance. We’re buying and selling plastic, earning for our families, and reinvesting in our businesses. It keeps going—it keeps us going,” she says, with eyes gleaming with quiet pride.

Another beneficiary, Grace Alonzo, part of HOPE’s Aling Tindera program, emphasizes that it’s more than just income.

“We’re keeping our surroundings clean, preventing flooding, and at the same time, making a living. It’s double the impact—on us and on our environment.”

Bayanihan in Action: A Community Transformed

Beyond economic relief, the project is restoring a lost sense of unity and purpose. Mike Brusola, a community organizer, describes the palpable change:

“You feel it—the spirit of bayanihan. People come together, bringing plastic to our solo parents, knowing they’re helping each other and the environment. There's a real sense of love in this effort.”

For Elsa Paluga, 72, who has lived in BASECO since 1986, the change is both visible and emotional.

“We’ve battled plastic waste for decades. Now, for the first time, we’re winning. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved.”

BASECO, often a symbol of the country’s neglected urban peripheries, is becoming a beacon of possibility. Its transformation offers proof that with the right tools and a little trust, even the most vulnerable can rise.

Trash to Triumph: A Replicable Model

The genius of the Pure Bayanihan model is its scalability. It’s not dependent on massive funding but thrives on community ownership and strategic partnership. By partnering with initiatives like HOPE’s Aling Tindera, which sets up plastic waste stations in urban poor areas, the project ensures that waste collected doesn’t return to nature, but is processed responsibly through trusted recycling partners.

It’s an ecosystem of change that bridges environmental justice with economic opportunity—and it works.

The Bigger Picture

Pure Bayanihan isn’t just cleaning up BASECO—it’s tearing down the walls of hopelessness that poverty builds. It’s showing the world what can happen when Filipinos come together, when bayanihan is more than just a word, and when even the smallest seed capital can spark a revolution.

In every bottle picked up, in every plastic sold, there’s a story of dignity restored, of mothers and fathers fighting back against poverty, of communities saying “kaya natin ‘to”.

This is BASECO today—not just surviving, but thriving, one plastic bottle at a time.

About "WazzupPilipinas.com"

WazzupPilipinas.com is the fastest growing and most awarded blog and social media community that has transcended beyond online media. It has successfully collaborated with all forms of media namely print, radio and television making it the most diverse multimedia organization. The numerous collaborations with hundreds of brands and organizations as online media partner and brand ambassador makes WazzupPilipinas.com a truly successful advocate of everything about the Philippines, and even more since its support extends further to even international organizations including startups and SMEs that have made our country their second home.