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Salbabote is an improvised life vest made of empty soda bottles enclosed with a net and an old bag strap
which can be worn like a typical life vest that helps secure families along flood prone areas.

The ingenious project was conceived and piloted in Dinalupihan, Bataan during the super typhoon Josie
in July 2018. During the said typhoon, rescue teams from different agencies went to the Dinalupihan’s
Command Post for rescue and relief operations. Meralco was one of these groups. They were wearing
these peculiar improvised life vest which caught the attention of two Municipal Links Nerissa Picardal and
Cyrell Maquesias. Both were inspired by the improvised life vest propelling to come up with the idea of
crafting similar vests which are less expensive and easier to do.

With their rigorous efforts in working on the project, the prototype was successfully completed. It was
showcased in their Family Development Session (FDS) in August assimilated along the topics “Proper
Waste Management” and “DRRM”. The municipal links instructed their beneficiaries to create “Salbabote”
as an additional item to their E-Balde that are useful in times of calamities. After a month, the
beneficiaries presented their own salbabote. It was further required that the project be made by all the
members of the beneficiaries’s household.

With the perceived strategic advantage of salbabote, it gradually gained wide-range recognition.

In the Pantawid Meeting last September 3, Provincial Link Elena Dones commended the Municipal Action
Team (MAT) Dinalupihan after presenting “Salbabote” as their best practice and ordered the whole
Pantawid to do the same among the other beneficiaries in other municipalities. The project soon became
the best practice in all the MAT in the Province of Bataan.

Intended to provide buoyancy to the beneficiaries, the salbabote illustrates the resourcefulness and
ingenuity of Filipinos in recycling plastic bottles and other materials.

Salbabote will not only save lives in times of catastrophes. It will also save the environment one plastic
bottle at a time.

“One saved bottle, one saved life.” – HARKKI CHARAUGHT!