From walk-in volunteer to volunteer CEO: One man’s lifeline mission
WHAT began as one man’s quiet promise after a storm has swelled into a 13-year movement bringing clean, safe water to the country’s farthest villages.
Charlito ‘Kaloy’ Manlupig, longtime humanitarian and founder of Balay Mindanaw, never set out to build a non-government organization.
“I simply couldn’t walk away from people still thirsty long after the floodwaters receded or after an earthquake,” he said, recalling the early days of what would become Safe Water for Every Child-Philippines.
“If there’s one thing I wanted to continue after retirement,” he added, “it was the Safe Water project. That was non-negotiable.”
He even specified it in his resignation letter from Balay Mindanaw.
Born from Balay Mindanaw
The project began quietly within Balay Mindanaw, a development foundation known for peacebuilding and disaster response across Mindanao.
“The first installation was in Barangay Ban-ao, Davao Oriental,” Manlupig recalled. “That was our first model — focus on one barangay, help it rise, then move to the next.”
At the heart of the effort is deceptively simple technology: ultrafiltration units called SkyHydrants, developed by Australia’s SkyJuice Foundation. Each unit can supply safe drinking water to hundreds without electricity, filtering out bacteria and impurities.
The SkyHydrant Ultrafiltration System, a portable and gravity-powered purifier, is distributed globally through the SkyJuice Foundation, the lightweight, low-cost device is now central to humanitarian and development projects, emergency responses, and permanent water systems worldwide.
How it works
The SkyHydrant uses ultrafiltration technology — thousands of microscopic hollow-fiber membranes that filter out pathogens, bacteria, parasites, and suspended solids from non-saline water sources.
Water flows through the unit under gravity or a small pressure head, passing through these fine fibers while contaminants remain trapped. The result is clear, safe water suitable for drinking and cooking.
Maintenance is simple and sustainable.
Using a manual “Shake ’n Flush” cleaning process, operators rotate handles that agitate the fibers, dislodging debris and flushing it out. This process extends the filter’s lifespan for years, even under regular use.
Designed for impact
Each SkyHydrant unit weighs about 18 kilograms and can produce 5,000 to 10,000 liters of safe water per day — enough for hundreds of people.
Because it operates without power or chemicals, the system is ideal for schools, hospitals, farms, and entire communities in off-grid or disaster-affected areas.
Durability and sustainability are key. With routine manual cleaning, a single filter can last up to a decade or more before needing replacement. Aside from the initial setup, operating costs are minimal, requiring no consumables or specialized skills.
The system has also proven vital during crises such as the Marawi Siege, the Bicol and Southern Luzon floods, and the Siargao Island power outage that triggered a three-week water crisis.
“The inventor, Rhett Butler, is a Rotarian too,” Manlupig said. “He made sure the design could be produced royalty-free for humanitarian use. That’s why we can bring it to communities for free — as long as it’s not sold.”
A network of Rotary hands
Rotary Clubs in the Philippines and Australia became early partners in the mission.
The organization works in close partnership with Disaster Aid Australia, led by Brian Ashworth, and the SkyJuice Foundation founded by Professor Butler — who was recently honored with the Zayed Sustainability Prize for his contributions to global water security.
“The Rotarians were the first to believe,” Manlupig said. “Disaster Aid Australia supplied the units, and they were among the first on the ground after (super typhoon) Sendong.”
When Manlupig retired from Balay Mindanaw, he rallied those same allies to form Safe Water for Every Child-Philippines — based in Cagayan de Oro.
“It’s homegrown,” he said proudly. “Born here, based here, run by volunteers.”
Building ownership, not dependency
Unlike many aid efforts that fade when donors leave, Safe Water for Every Child-Philippines puts sustainability first.
“We don’t just drop equipment and leave,” Manlupig said. “We train local people, sign agreements, and even do surprise visits. If a system isn’t maintained, we take it back. Ownership is key.”
The model is scaling up. Talks are underway for a P10-million partnership in Dinagat Islands to install units across 50 barangays by 2026.
In Agusan del Sur, the provincial government has also signified its intention to acquire ultrafiltration units.
Some systems will first serve the provincial Palaro Games before being redeployed to schools and communities.
Hope after the storm
Manlupig’s calling didn’t begin with Safe Water — it began with a disaster.
In his 2018 commencement speech at Notre Dame University in Cotabato City, he recalled how a deadly earthquake and tsunami in 1976 first shaped his humanitarian journey.
“A few minutes after midnight on August 17, 1976, a violent earthquake struck Mindanao,” he told graduates. “Cotabato City was on fire. Many landmarks collapsed — the NDU Auditorium, the Sultan Theater, the Sagittarius Hotel. The cries for help from beneath the rubble haunt me to this day.”
Amid the chaos, the young student wandered into NDU and volunteered to help.
“The first task given to me,” he said, “was to distribute tablets to sanitize drinking water in the evacuation centers. Eventually, I got ‘promoted’ to the disaster management team.”
That moment, he said, planted the seed of his life’s work.
“It was at NDU where the seed of this vocation was planted and nurtured. I discovered my passion for working with and for people. Because NDU responded to the crisis, I became a disaster responder — and that passion has never left me.”
A promise that flows
Today, Safe Water for Every Child-Philippines stands as both legacy and promise — a living reflection of one man’s faith in community, compassion, and clean water.
The SkyHydrant’s success lies not only in its engineering but in its philosophy: that access to safe water should not depend on wealth, location, or infrastructure.
For the communities of Mindanao and beyond, this simple, gravity-fed device represents more than technology — it’s a promise of resilience, health, and dignity for generations to come.
Beyond long-term installations, the NGO rapidly deploys mobile SkyHydrant units to areas hit by typhoons, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other emergencies.
These portable systems restore access to clean water when communities need it most.
In the aftermath of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked Bogo City on the night of September 30, the NGO once again deployed its signature water filtration systems.
The NGO’s Director for Sustainability, Doris Isubal-Mongaya — who is based in Cebu — is currently overseeing the installation of their filtration units in the different evacuation shelters.
“She is the ground commander now in our Cebu response,” Manlupig said.
He admits his passion for this cause grew out of personal struggle.
Now the NGO’s volunteer chief executive officer, Manlupig’s humanitarian mission has come full circle — from a walk-in volunteer handing out water tablets to a leader ensuring that no community is left behind.
More than a project, Safe Water for Every Child-Philippines has become a promise: that no child should ever drink from a dirty stream again.
The NGO has already installed more than 100 SkyHydrant units across Mindanao, including 14 in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.
“Water is life,” Manlupig said. “But for us, it’s also hope — hope that starts flowing, one barangay at a time.”
Comments
Post a Comment