The biofences in Cebu City’s creeks did not only collect 26 tons of garbage in a month but have also provided jobs for at least 40 people in three barangays in Cebu City.
Sergio Ocaña, chief of Barangay Sawang Calero, said that he deployed at most 20 people in his barangay to collect the garbage trapped by the biofences.
These people, he said, used to scavenge for food.
Now, Ocaña said these people now work for the food as part of the city’s garbage program.
Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) head Nida Cabrera said they are hoping to install more biofences, especially in the upland rivers to prevent garbage from continuously flowing to the downstream.
The CCENRO has installed biofences at fish ports in Barangay Suba and Sawang Calero, at the Tinago Promenade in Barangay San Roque, and a river in Barangay Tejero.