AT LEAST six tons of garbage were collected during the clean-up activity conducted at the mouth of the Kinalumsan River near the South Road Properties tower on Sunday, April 23, 2023.
Of the collected garbage, 70 percent were plastics, while the rest were rubbers, foams and textiles, among others.
Considering that the clean-up activity was held near where the Badjao community is residing, Mayor Michael Rama said in his speech that as the city goes forward, developments should be inclusive, thus those who belong to the marginalized sector and poor Cebuanos should not be neglected.
Cebu City clean-up activity overseer Reymarr Hijara said it is a challenge to instill in the minds of members of the marginalized sector the importance of taking good care of the environment.
“They are more concerned about what to put on their plate for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” said Hijara in an interview on Sunday.
Hijara said the city’s garbage problem is affected by several factors, but this can be addressed through shared efforts.
“This garbage problem is a shared problem. It requires the entire citizenry and neighboring local government units to manage the problem. Several factors are involved and need to be dealt with,” said Hijara.
The clean-up activity was jointly organized by the World Mission Society Church of God, Filinvest and Cebu City Hall’s River Warriors in view of the celebration of Earth Month, which is observed every April, and International Earth Day, which was observed on Saturday, April 22.
This clean-up activity is on top of the quarterly activity organized by the City Hall.
The City Hall is set to conduct its next clean-up activity in June.
In their past clean-up activities, Hijara said the City Hall collected 12 tons of garbage last December and almost a hundred tons of garbage last March.