Cebu hotels donate used soap,linens to communities in need

Stefan Phang of Sealed Air (3rd from left) turns over the soap recycling machine to the First School of the Hearing Impaired principal Jose Oliva.

Two of the top wastes from hotels are bath soaps and linens.

A program driven by Sealed Air gives people ways to make use of the discarded soap and condemned linens from hotels and turn them into a means of livelihood.

Stefan Phang, the founder of these undertakings, calls these projects Soap for Hope and Linens for Life.

Phang, who hails from Singapore, is the director of sustainability and corporate social responsibility for Sealed Air.

In Cebu, he introduced Soap for Hope years ago in Barangay Tingo, Olango Island.

Last July 24, Phang introduced the Soap for Hope and Linens for Life projects in the First High School for the Hearing Impaired in Barangay Basak Pardo, Cebu City.

With the help of local volunteers, like sustainability professional Faye Hugo and photographer Jacob Maentz and their teams, the machine to reprocess the soap was donated to the school by Sealed Air and received by school principal Jose Oliva.

Hearing-impaired high school students were taught the procedure to transform the discarded soap into sanitized soap that can be used again, even made better, and packaged like new.

Finished products from condemned linens made into a student’s uniforms, polo shirt, bag, apron and sleeping bag were shown to the 15 students present and some visitors.

One of the visitors was Bernard Tanchan, the owner/manager of a partner-hotel, Best Western Plus Lex Cebu.

The other partner-hotel of this school is JPark Island Resort and Waterpark in Lapu-Lapu City. JPark provided the used soap for the school’s Soap for Hope.

Last July 25, Phang also presented Soap for Hope in the Bagong Lipunan Elementary School in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City near Radisson Blu Hotel, the hotel that adopted the school as their beneficiary.

In fact, some of the personnel of the hotel tried the procedure of making the serviceable soap. Another partner-hotel for this community is the Waterfront Hotel Cebu.

After having learned the whole process of converting the soap into marketable value, the community committed to make the project as a workable livelihood, to sustain good health for the community, and to maintain a wholesome environment.

Involved in this commitment are the following: the parents’ association (who will provide the labor), the principal of the school (who will provide the place for the operation), and the organization of ANCOP (acronym for “Answering the Cry of the Poor,” a ministry of Couples for Christ), which will manage the livelihood and do the marketing of the products.

According to the principal of the school, the introduction of Soap for Hope came in time for the completion of their shower room where students may take a bath (for those who are not able to due to lack of water and facilities in their homes).

To initiate Linens for Life in the community that has had “Soap for Hope,” Phang took time to go to Olango Island with the resident manager and some personnel of Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu and other visitors.

Shangri-La’s Mactan, as partner-hotel of Tingo Elementary School, donated about 30 big boxes of linens, towels, curtains and other discarded clothing materials. Sealed Air brought along two units of sewing machines to immediately start the undertaking. True enough, the mothers in the group became busy making new things from the linens, like women’s dusters, aprons, bags, doormats and sleeping bags.

“Linens for Life” will also be introduced in due time to the other beneficiary communities who undertook Soap for Hope venture.

For those hotels that would like to participate in the Soap for Hope and Linens for Life programs, please contact Faith Hugo (CFC Ancop) at 2380285, 5120285 and (0919) 4519959.