Coastal cleanup in Pangan-an islet collects 50 sacks of garbage

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines – At least 50 sacks of garbage were collected during a coastal cleanup in the islet of Pangan-an in Lapu-Lapu City on Tuesday, May 16.

Dr. Ronald Oporto, head of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), said that the cleanup was part of their initiative to preserve the natural beauty of the islet barangay that is one of the tourism destinations in Lapu-Lapu City.

Pangan-an has a population of 2,859 individuals.

“Order kini sa atong mayor, Junard “Ahong” Chan, pag-monitor ug pag-maintain sa kalimpyo sa atong mga isla ug sa mga coastal areas. Tungod kay atong nakita karon ang mga turista [are] coming in,” Oporto said.

They now plan to make the cleanup in Pangan-an a regular activity, he added.

Tuesday’s cleanup was led by Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan and participated by personnel of the different government offices in Lapu-Lapu City, barangay officials and Pangan=an residents.

Oporto said the sacks of garbage, mostly plastics, that they collected were transported to the city’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF), where recyclable garbage would be segregated from biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes.

For his part, Pangan-an Barangay Captain Vergilio Casiao said that they would intensify their cleanliness campaign by urging his constituents to segregate their wastes.

Casiao, however, admitted that managing their waste was very challenging since they do not have an area to store these prior to its transfer to the nearest MRF that is located in Olango Island.

“Amo lang, wala lang mi area nga kalabayan sa plastic. Mao na nga adto namo ilabay sa Olango sa ilang MRF. Mao na matag tulo ka buwan, mohatod gyud mi ug plastic,” Casiao said.

In addition, Casiao said they also had to rent a pump boat when they transport their wastes to the MRF in Olango.

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