THE two million people who attended the Sinulog Grand Parade and other related activities left 219 tons of garbage or twice more than last year, Cebu City Hall’s Department of Public Services (DPS) said yesterday.
DPS chief John Paul Gelasque said the garbage consisted mostly of plastic mineral water bottles and leftover food.
The bulk of the city’s garbage was collected at the vicinity of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño where the crowd gathered for the fiesta Masses and a concert held later at the Plaza Independencia headlined by the Parokya ni Edgar band.
“Daghan kaayo ug tawo (There were a lot of people) this year,” Gelasque said. DPS deployed 586 personnel consisting of street cleaners, garbage loaders and truck drivers to sweep city streets of Sinulog garbage.
Gelasque said deployment started at 5 p.m. and focused on areas located away from the Sinulog Grand Parade route.
When the street parade ended at 8 p.m., cleaners transferred to areas located close to the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) where the Sinulog judging was held and along the parade route which included the New Imus Road, General Maxilom Avenue and R. Landon Street.
By 11 p.m. they moved to Plaza Sugbu where the Magellan’s Cross is located and roads surrounding the basilica. Clean up at the Plaza Independencia was made after the Sinulog concert. The cleanup ended at 6 a.m. yesterday.
Cleaners collected at least 97 truckloads of garbage consisting mostly of water bottles, leftover food and buntings which they deposited into the city’s transfer station located near the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill.
Last year, DPS collected 160 tons of Sinulog garbage.