CAGAYAN de Oro City has been the recipient of several major street flooding, especially during the month of July when rains prevailed.
And what’s to blame? The improper disposal of waste into the city's drainage system, creeks, rivers and other waterways. The proof? The tons of garbage collected during the de-clogging operation in the flood-prone Villarin Street, Barangay Carmen.
These creeks and rivers are supposed to be home for various animals and plants. However, they became dump-site for trash thrown by humans.
Such issues are not only observed in Cagayan de Oro City but also all over the country. Philippines was even ranked as the third worst polluter into the world's oceans, after China and Indonesia, in 2017 by the environmental group, Greenpeace.
This served as one of the catalysts for Kriezl Jhan Ilano and her cousin to act, to find a solution to address the never-ending issue of waste disposal.
Thus, establishing the Iligan-based environment group: Mahiana Movement.
According Ilano, “Mahiana” is an Aramaic word which means “life giving savior,” which embodies the movement itself.
Ilano, founder of the Mahiana Movement, started the group with her cousin and later with their friends. But it was in April 2018 that the group was formally established with a total of 25 members.
"Kay ganahan man mi'g (Since we like) outdoor stuff like beaches, mountain climbing and then murag makita namo nga daghan na kaayo og basura (we saw how much garbage was there) so that's why like every time we go to beaches or every time we climb mountains, we always make it a habit to collect trash as we go. So dira sya basically nag start (basically that's how it started)," Ilano said.
She said her time in Australia also added the fuel in her determination to start and keep the group going.
"The click nga (that) this is it, this is what we have to do, this is what we're gonna do was when I visited Australia last year and then people there are all very aware sa (of the) environment and they're really developing. Like groceries stores nga walay (with no) packaging and everything so I was like 'possible man diay (this is actually possible),'" the Mahiana founder said, adding that she even saw Filipinos in Australia adopting the said practice.
At present Mahiana is a group of environmental missionaries who are spearheading a global shift - a lifestyle free from plastic.
The group's focus areas are sustainability, recycling and guidance.
Mahiana provides products that address to the simplest cause of pollution: the disposables. As such, they sell various stuffs such as produce bags, kitchen utensils made of bamboo and stainless steel, organic soap, among others.
Their services do not only stop there as the group also visits other places such as Dumaguete, Bacolod, and Cebu to spread their advocacy to ban the use of plastic.
In fact, Ilano said that they will be visiting Cebu to talk with government officials on the possibility of enforcing a plastic ban law in the area.
"We're developing this program to show the government that this is what I'm trying to do. This is the benefit that the country's gonna have, the city's gonna have, and it’s very easy actually and it doesn’t cost a lot. It’s just that we have to be stern in," Ilano said.
She added that the group is also planning to tap schools in the places they visit in order to spread awareness on the ongoing solid waste problem the country has.