Cebu City to conduct its 15th citywide cleanup drive on March 16

The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) will hold its 15th city-wide clean-up drive on March 16. | Photo via Cebu City News and Information

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City is preparing to conduct its 15th city-wide cleanup drive which highlights the importance of community-led initiatives in fostering a culture of proactive waste management.

Reymarr Hijara, department head of the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO), said that they had met the 80 barangay captains for this event to stress out their roles in fostering a culture of proactive waste management.

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“This time around, atong gistress-out nu ang role sa barangays and the community… atong gihighlight sa atong meeting with the barangays nga kung mahimo, kada tagbalay, kada establishment, manglimpyo,” Hijara said.

(This time around, we stressed the role of the barangays and the community…we highlighted in our meeting with the barangays that if possible every household, every establishment, should clean their surroundings.)

The city-wide clean-up drive is set to commence on March 16, at 6 a.m.

Hijara revealed that this year’s clean-up effort would be expected to surpass previous participation levels, with more volunteers expected to confirm their attendance in the coming days.

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“It will be joined by around 3,000 volunteers who confirmed their attendance, but we will be expecting more confirmation as the days go by,” he said.

Hijara said that the event would see the collaboration of city hall employees and Gubat sa Baha river commanders in designated clean-up sites across the city.

Moreover, he shared that the important part of the initiative involved the proper segregation of waste, with a particular focus on plastic sachets and PET bottles.

This act of segregation will be the highlight of the activity as the people in the community are encouraged to turn this trash into “eco-bricks”.

READ: Cebu City expects 10,000 participants for the city-wide cleanup on Sept.16

“It’s been a long while; this is the 15th clean-up already, and we need to step up our game. Kay kani sad [eco-bricks]. Mao man na, dili man ta gusto gyud nga tanan natong basura padulong ngadto sa landfill kay it will contribute to kuan na pollution sa atong environment,” Hijara said.

(It’s been a long while; this is the 15th cleanup already, and we need to step up our game. This is also because [eco-bricks]. That is what should be, we don’t want that all our trash would go to the landfill because it would contribute to pollution of our environment.)

Addressing concerns about the lasting impact of clean-up efforts, he acknowledged the complex and recurring nature of waste management challenges, labeling them as “wicked” problems.

“Kani man gud problema sa basura, we termed this as… ‘wicked’ problem man gud ni siya. This kind of problem kay recurring; magbalik-balik. Dili man kay kita ra sa Cebu City nagproblema ani, intero kalibutan nagproblema aning basura,” Hijara said.

(This is the problem of trash, we termed this as… a’wicked’ problem. This kind of problem because it is recurring; it recurs. It is only here in Cebu City that we have this problem, the whole world has this problem.)

READ: Running out of landfills

Moreover, he emphasized the need for a collective effort involving both the government and citizens, with a recognition that there was no singular solution to the issue.

“Kaning problemaha sa basura… it does not have a silver bullet. [Meaning], wala ni usa ka solution [but] will require a set of solutions. Dili ni masulbad nga gobyerno lang, kailangan apil ta tanang tao,” Hijara said.

(This problem of garbage…it does not have a silver bullet. [Meaning], there is no one solution [but] will require a set of solutions. This cannot be solved by the government only,  all people need to be included.)