CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City government has tapped private entities, civic groups, and other sectors for the fourth city-wide cleanup drive tomorrow, June 19.
Locations for the cleanup drive include barangays Ermita, T. Padilla, Tejero, Pasil, Sawang Calero, Pahina San Nicolas, Sambag I, Mambaling, Tisa, Bulacao, Punta, and Basak San Nicolas.
Reymarr Hijara, subcommittee chairperson for operations of the Coastal Management Task Force (CMTF), said all rivers in the city will also be included.
Personnel from various departments, including the Cebu City Transportation Office, Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and Department of Public Service, will be assigned in different cleanup locations.
Hijara said volunteers, Mayor’s Information and Liaison Office staff and barangay workers will have to gather into groups and coordinate with the assigned personnel for each area.
“We give participants the freedom to choose their own cleanup area. Usually man gud kung sila'y mo- choose, usually ilang pilion nga area either duol sa ilaha or kanang ilang malabyan para matagabtan sa nila ang results sa ilahang clean-up,” he said.
He added that divers from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, Cebu Technological University, and Cebu Pink Paddlers will conduct a cleanup underwater after the opening ceremony at Il Corso Mall at the South Road Properties.
Guidelines
During the cleanup, Hijara said different organizers will have to ensure that volunteers will observe the minimum health and safety standards.
“We just always remind them to consider the standard health protocols like social distancing and then the safety protocols nga dapat naa sila’y sakto nga equipment, especially kaning gloves nato,” he said.
Hijara added volunteers are instructed to bring at least one sack for their collected garbage “kay para dili sad siya magkatag-an and then sayon sad siya sa atoang DPS to collect.”
They will also have to fill out, through an online form, the number of sacks and types of garbage they collected.
Part of the guidelines also requires volunteers to take before, during, and after pictures of the areas they have cleaned in the same angle and have them posted on Facebook and other social media accounts with the hashtag, #CleanCebuHealthyCebuanos.
“We would easily detect the activities sa atoang Facebook and social media because we will be having a joined hashtag.”
He said certificates will be issued to the volunteers, provided the latter will email their attendance sheet and their list of encoded names.
Those who cannot submit online may also send the requirements to the Cebu City Vice Mayor’s Office.
Moreover, in case of heavy rainfall, the cleanup activity will be halted, especially in areas where rivers may swell.
Advocacy
“The clean-up is a highlight every quarter to remind people to take care and love our environment. Og dili ta magtinabangay, si gyud ni siya mataman, kinahanglan tinabangay tang tanan,” said Hijara.
However, he noted there has been an improvement in some barangays, which recently conducted their own cleanups.
Hijara said it would not suffice to do the cleanup as there has to be an integrated system among the different partners to resolve environmental concerns. — Deogracia William Bemida, Silliman Intern, and Loreine Kyra Lebumfacil, CNU Comm Intern, KQD (FREEMAN)