QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- Muntinlupa City has released more than 1,000 "bokashi" balls to improve the overall water quality of Laguna de Bay.

Dubbed,"Project ADBOKASHI" the move released the Japanese-proven technology during a simple ceremony held at the Muntinlupa City Fish Hatchery at Bayanan Baywalk.

The project is being led by the city's Lake Management Office (LMO) in partnership with Rotary Club of Muntinlupa City Central and Rotaract Club of Alabang Bagong Paraiso.

Mayor Ruffy Biazon welcomed the cooperation of the City Government, Rotary, and Rotaract towards improving water quality in Laguna de Bay for the long-term, in relation to the Biazon Administration's 7K Agenda for the environment.

The project will involve releasing bokashi into Laguna de Bay at least every six months with periodic water quality testing to be conducted by the LMO.

Bokashi balls are made of organic materials such as garden soil, effective microorganisms (EM1), molasses, and rice hulls that break down toxins and bad bacteria in water. Dubbed locally as "mabuhay balls," bokashi were also proven in Japan to deodorize bodies of water and reduce siltation.

Recently, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) used these to improve the water quality in Boracay's wetlands as part of the rehabilitation of its beaches according to the Muntinlupa Public Information Office. 

The organic "deodorizer" balls were introduced into the country by the Asian National Institute in Angono, Rizal, in 2008.

To recall, prior to the recent release into Laguna de Bay, 6,000 bokashi balls were first used in Muntinlupa in 2019 in Jamboree Lake in Poblacion, which is recognized as the smallest natural lake in the country. (Muntinlupa PIO/PIA-NCR)