THE rehabilitation efforts for Pasig River, Boracay Island, and Manila Bay are just among the efforts by the government and its partners in terms of environment conservation and protection.
We are so used to seeing photos of these places with trash and hearing stories of how dirty they were that when we see photos of how clean they are now, it is almost unbelievable.
The government has already been making moves to ensure more places in the country, especially tourist sites, are rehabilitated.
Another clean-up effort making the headlines is El Nido, Palawan. It was recently reported that resorts in the popular tourist site are given until the end of May to comply with environmental laws.
The resorts in El Nido were given six months, or until May 30, to comply with environmental laws, but only a few have fully complied.
“We have given them enough time to comply. We explained to them why and how they can comply with regulations. So far, they have failed to do so. They still have a whole month to shape up. After that they will face closure,” Año said.
He also warned that if local government units fail to impose the regulations, the national government will take over just like what happened in Boracay Island in Aklan.
It is no brainer that it is also the job of the local government units (LGUs) to ensure the cleanliness of the environment within their jurisdiction. This is something many LGUs -- from the provincial level down to the barangay level -- tend to overlook or forget.
Davao City is fairly clean and environmentally sound as compared to other towns or cities in the country. However, we cannot deny the fact that Davao City is already facing a lot of environmental issues that need fixing as soon as possible. The trash in the canals and along the coast of the city, the need for more trees within the city center, and strengthening the implementation of environmental laws are just among the issues that need to be addressed.
While we are aware of the government's efforts to ensure that the local environment in Davao City is conserved and protected, there is a need to step up its environmental efforts. Clean-up drives will do some good but it is not sustainable in the long run. Maybe an intensive environmental campaign is needed.
Davao City should not wait for the national government to step in and clean its local environment. Davao City has been dubbed as among the cleanest cities. If it can do it before, it can do it now and even better.