Maguindanao residents conduct beach cleanup drive

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - The once uncooperative residents of seaside enclaves in the province are now helping maintain the cleanliness of their barangay shores, challenged by the sight of outsiders doing it for them.

Local officials in Maguindanao’s adjoining Datu Odin and Datu Blah towns on Saturday told The STAR barangay folks are also helping now disseminate the need to clean their coastlines in support of the cleanup campaign by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

DENR-ARMM officials and employees had cleared from wastes a total of 3.6 kilometers of connected shorelines in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao last week to highlight their environmental protection thrusts in the area.

Kedew Saliling, 50, a fisherman, said they were challenged to work too for their community’s good by the presence of DENR-ARMM employees in their villages last week.

“How can we not get involved in the initiative? Their coming over to clean for us our shores was a big challenge for us, something we ought to reciprocate,” Mohdandi said in Filipino but in heavy Teduray accent.

Samad Batua, 44, a Maguindanaon, said he and his children now collect non-biodegradable wastes in a beach near their house every day.

“It’s a big shame if we let other people from far places do it for us. We are thankful to the DENR-ARMM for educating our people on the importance of protecting our shores from destruction,” Batua said in Maguindanaon.

ARMM’s natural resources secretary, Hadji Kahal Kedtag, said their intensified environment-protection thrusts in seaside areas in the province is part of the reform initiative of Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman, chief executive of the autonomous region.

Mayor Datu Ombra Sinsuat of Datu Odin Sinsuat and members of the municipal council had earlier assured to help the DENR-ARMM carry out the program.

The coastline of Maguindanao spans from Barangay Linek in Datu Odin town up to the border of Datu Blah, also in the same province and Lebak, Sultan Kudarat.