It must be said that even before Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu warned all regional directors of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to clean the rivers within their jurisdiction or else be fired, Cebu’s local governments had been working for sometime to clean their rivers.
Cebu City Hall timed the opening of the Mahiga Creek Park at Block 22 of Cebu City’s North Reclamation Area during the opening of the 4th International River Summit hosted by Mandaue City as a showcase of their efforts to clean the city’s rivers and beautify the surrounding area.
What’s remarkable about the project is that it cost the city only P50,000, a paltry sum when compared to the millions usually spent for mid-level to big ticket projects and the materials used were garbage that were recycled into useful building materials.
The park was turned over to the Parks and Playgrounds Commission who will now be accountable for its sustained operation. We hope they are up to the task and establish the park as a shining example of Cebu City’s commitment to sustainable urban living that can be replicated in other parts of the city and its neighboring local governments as well.
Not to be outdone, the Mandaue City government also promoted its ongoing rehabilitation of the Butuanon River which runs across 11 of its barangays. Even though plans were underway to rehabilitate the river which has sadly deteriorated over time since 1995, it was two years ago when these plans were actually put in motion.
Barangays Ibabao-Estancia, Alang-Alang and Pakna-an were identified as the pilot areas and like Cebu City’s Mahiga Creek Park project, the initial targets were modest and doable.
And like the park project, the Mandaue City government used umbrella plants to absorb the contaminants that were discharged into the river by companies found to be violating environmental laws as well as households that have used the river as a giant toilet and kitchen sink.
Truth be told, the deterioration of both the Mahiga Creek and Butuanon River, whose waters course through and end up in even larger bodies of water like the Mactan Channel, is a shared responsibility of both households and companies.
Thus, illegal settlers had to be cleared from the three-meter easement zone and companies need to be held accountable for their waste discharges that pollute the waters — a situation that shouldn’t have happened at all since they have the resources to ensure that their discharges don’t harm the river.
We hope that these companies along with others who pitched in to help fund the river rehabilitation project, commit along with Cebu’s local governments and other stakeholders for a sustained effort to clean and keep their rivers clean.