CEBU CITY, Philippines— What kept you busy in the past months while in quarantine?
By just browsing through our Facebook feed, we’ve noticed that a lot have started new hobbies like biking and gardening while some went a bit farther by starting a small business.
But a Japanese national had other things in mind. He opted to help clean up the streets of Cebu while most of us were stuck at home.
Meet Hitoshi Namura, 29, an IT operations analyst in Cebu and one of the founders of the #cleanupchallegePH, which urges everyone to take action and start cleaning their community in any way they can.
It all began last June when the city was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). Namura and his friend, Michael Syoma, who is also a Japanese national, thought of using their free time to clean their neighborhood in Barangay Apas.
Read: Japanese nationals using quarantine time to clean up neighborhood in Cebu City
Aside from having an ample amount of spare time, he just wanted to set an example for everyone to help keep the city clean and beautiful.
“Cleanliness is happiness. I don’t wanna see nay trash on the street. I want to make Cebu more beautiful by cleaning,” said Namura.
Read: FACES OF CEBU: RC Dalaguit-De Vela, radio anchor/reporter
Now, after roughly four months in doing the #cleanupchallengePh, more and more volunteers are helping out with his advocacy and have already started cleaning other areas in the city as well.
During their cleanup drives, Namura takes photos to share online as photography is also one of his hobbies.
/bmjo