THE Cebu City Coastal Management Task Force (CMTF) collected 13 tons of garbage during a four-hour cleanup on Saturday, June 19, 2021.
CMTF subcommittee chairman Reymar Hijara said plastic made up 78 percent of the garbage collected. This was followed by wood (seven percent), paper (4.8 percent), metal (2.6 percent), glass (two percent) and other kinds of garbage (14 percent).
Hijara said around 3,800 volunteers from CMTF’s partner agencies and organizations participated in the activity.
The cleanup was conducted in the Mahiga Creek near Innodata, a portion of Kamputhaw River under the Tinago-Tejero Bridge, a portion of Kamputhaw River near T. Padilla Market, the Ermita coast, the mouth of the Guadalupe River, Pasil coast; Sawang Calero, a portion of the Guadalupe River near Pahina San Nicolas Barangay Hall, a portion of Guadalupe River near the University of San Carlos South in Sambag 1, a portion of Kamputhaw River under Sudlon Bridge, Arabal River under the Kinalumsan Bridge in Mambaling, a portion of the Kinalumsan River near the Tisa Elementary School, South Road Properties tower and Il Corso coast.
Hijara said they will conduct another cleanup in September.
During last quarter’s cleanup in March, the CMTF collected a total of 13.615 tons of garbage.
The City Government has been conducting cleanups pursuant to an ordinance authored by Cebu City Vice Mayor, now Acting Mayor Michael Rama.
The ordinance entitled “An Ordinance Institutionalizing the Cleanups of Rivers, Natural Waterways and Coastal Areas within the Jurisdiction of the City of Cebu” was approved by the City Council on Dec. 2, 2020.
In Talisay, the City Government collected 12 tons of garbage in the six coastal barangays of Poblacion, Pooc, Biasong, Dumlog, Cansojong, Tanke and San Roque on Saturday as part of its monthly cleanup.
In his official Facebook page, Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas said it was the first cleanup activity since the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic began at the end of March last year. Before that, the last one they conducted was in the last quarter of 2019, he said.
Gullas said with the city slowly recovering from the health crisis, he hopes to continue their monthly coastal cleanups.
He also urged his constituents to participate in the activity.
“Let us keep our coastal areas clean, especially atong (our) beach area kay kita man gihapon ang mahimulos aning tanan (because it’s also for our benefit),” Gullas added. (JJL, JKV)