Vice Governor Dennis "Delta" Pineda appealed to residents of the Santa Ana and other neighboring areas to stop dumping garbage into the rivers, which causes water pollution and flooding.
"Tulungan po ninyo ang mga magsasaka. Tigilan po ninyo ang pagtatapon ng basura sa mga ilog. Perwisyo po ang basura sa patubig," Pineda said
He also asked village officials to strictly enforce the ecological waste management law.
"Mga barangay captains, higpitan po ninyo ang pagpapatupad ng solid waste management law at ordinances," he said.
The vice governor added that farmers suffer when the waterways are full of garbage.
The provincial government helped in clearing some 30 trucks of garbage from the Matubig Creek in Santa Ana town recently.
Pineda assisted Sta. Ana officials, led by Mayor Dinan Labung, in opening floodgates after the creek was clogged by garbage and other debris.
The clogged creek had caused the recent flooding early this week in several barangays in said town.
Reports from the Municipal and Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices DRRMO) stated that about 30 truckloads of garbage blocked the creek.
Floodwaters affected homes and farmlands in nearby areas, the report added.
Pineda said he coordinated with Labung the deployment of heavy equipment, including backhoes, to remove debris and desilt the creek.
Pineda and Labung inspected the site with the Vice Governor’s Chief of Staff, Angelina Blanco, and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer (PDRRMO) Janica Yambao.
The officials reminded the residents "to dispose waste properly and avoid dumping trash into the waterways to prevent flooding."