2K volunteers to join Cebu City’s Mar. 20 cleanup drive

The Cebu City government will again do a cleanup campaign of the city’s major waterways including the Mahiga Creek on Saturday, March 20, 2021. Above is last August 7, 2020’s cleanup drive in the Mahiga Creek. | Probe team photo (file photo)

CEBU CITY, Philippines — At least 2,000 volunteers will  be in coastal areas and major rivers in Cebu City on Saturday, March 20, as the city government holds a city-wide cleanup drive in these areas.

There would be 1,950 volunteers from the city government and around 573 from civic groups, said Reymar Hijara, subcommittee chairperson for the Coastal Management Task Force (CMTF).

“This likely will be more because the civic groups usually go directly to the barangays on the day,” said Hijara.

The cleanup drive will be simultaneous in 20 riverside and coastal areas including Mahiga Creek, Tejero Bridge, Guadalupe River Mouth, Pasil Coast, Bulacao Upriver, South Road Properties (SRP) coast, among others.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will be providing heavy equipment to strategic points including the Mahiga Creek for a total of 15 pieces of heavy equipment all over the city.

Apart from the volunteers, Hijara said they had tapped the barangays to engage the residents in the coastal and riverside areas to help in the cleanup.

He said the program would seek to help the residents to have a cleaner environment, but they should also do their part.

The cleanup drive will start at 6 a.m. on Saturday, and will end within two to three hours. It is expected that the Spanish ship, El Cano, will pass by the Mactan Channel as part of the Quincentennial Anniversary of the arrival of the Spanish fleet in Cebu, by then, and the clean-up group will welcome them from the coasts and the sea while cleaning.

Read: As quincentenary celebrations near, Spanish navy ship to pass Cebu this March 20

There will be at least five divers at the SRP portion of the Mactan Channel that will also help in the underwater cleanup to help the city’s remaining coral reefs.

Hijara said that they were excited not only to see the El Cano on the coast during the activity, but also to show how Cebuanos care for the environment.

Read: Celebration of World Water Day 2021 — Valuing Water

The coastal clean-up would also be part of the celebration for World Water Day.

Vice Mayor Michael Rama, who has launched the city-wide coastal clean-up in 2019, said that the city government would not stop in its campaign to clean the waterways.

/dbs