CEBU City’s outgoing Vice Mayor, now Acting Mayor, Donald “Dondon” Hontiveros, has urged all residents and stakeholders to participate in the upcoming citywide cleanup drive scheduled for Saturday, June 21, 2025.
According to Rachel Gibson, personnel from the Vice Mayor’s Office, the initiative will target eight crucial rivers across Cebu City: Bulacao River, Tagunol Creek, Kinalumsan River, Guadalupe River, Lahug River, Mahiga River, Butuanon River and Estero de Parian.
Hontiveros specifically requested the participation of Cebu City scholars to gather manpower and support this vital environmental undertaking. He sees this as a parting gift for his term and a significant step towards fostering a more environmentally conscious generation of Cebuanos.
“I will request the scholars, considering we have so many scholars, this will just be their assignment and my request as a parting gift to me,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English during an interview on Monday, June 16.
The acting mayor affirmed his unwavering commitment to environmental advocacy, stating he will continue to support such initiatives in his private capacity even beyond his current term.
Editha Peros, head of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro), underscored the critical importance of regular cleanup drives, emphasizing how these efforts directly contribute to mitigating flooding.
In a separate interview on Monday, Peros also revealed Cenro’s goal for every barangay to submit a monthly solid waste management plan. She also expressed the office’s objective for barangays to establish trash traps or bio-fences — underwater barriers designed to trap solid waste and prevent garbage from flowing out to sea — as a proactive approach to environmental care.
“Maayo unta nga ang tanan barangays makabuhat na ug trash traps, ang atong mga basura sa bukana sa sapa o sa downstream maiban-ibanan nagyud,” Peros stated.
(Hopefully, all barangays can already make trash traps, so our trash at the mouth of the river or downstream will truly be reduced.)
The call for participation extends beyond scholars, urging local communities, nongovernment organizations, private businesses and individual volunteers to dedicate their time and effort to this cause.
This quarterly clean-up is mandated by a city ordinance, originally authored by former mayor Michael Rama, reflecting Cebu City’s ongoing commitment to environmental protection and rehabilitation.
For more information, Gibson’s contact number (09958545489) was posted in Cebu City’s Public Information Office for volunteers wishing to participate. / Antonette Arrabis, CNU intern