CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City government in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) conducted a simultaneous coastal clean-up along eight waterways and coastal areas in the city in line with the International Coastal Clean-up Day celebration this Saturday, September 19, 2020.
The “massive” clean-up organized by the Cebu City Coastal Management Task Force (CCMT) was participated by City Hall employees assigned with the Department of Engineering and Public Works, Department of Public Services, Department of General Services, and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO).
However, fewer participants joined this Saturday’s clean-up compared to those who joined in the previous years as a result of quarantine restrictions imposed in the city.
Vice Mayor Michael Rama said that the barangays were only allowed to send a small delegation to join this year’s activity.
As of this writing, the CCMT is still collating data as to the volume of garbage that was collected during the six-hour clean-up at the mouths of the Lahug, Guadalupe, Bulacao, and Kinalumsan Rivers and the Tejero and Mahiga Creeks.
Participants also cleaned the coastal areas of Barangay Mambaling and the South Road Properties (SRP).
Mayor Edgardo Labella urged city residents to celebrate the International Coastal Clean-up Day by cleaning the canals and streams that are found within their immediate surroundings.
“Our participation in this global movement marks our commitment to restoring and preserving our environment amid the current challenging times. Our efforts in cleaning our oceans, shorelines, rivers, lakes, and waterways must continue because these are all God-given gifts, and so we must take good care of them,” he said.
“While coastal cleanups alone can’t solve the ocean trash problem, they are an integral part of the overall solution. Our shared responsibility as citizens in becoming more prudent towards our environment constitutes our bigger solution. The change starts with us — in our households and our individual behaviors in managing our trash well,” said the mayor.
Below are some photos of the coastal clean-up in Cebu City courtesy of the DENR-7, the Cebu City PIO, and the Environment Management Bureau in Central Visayas.
