Joint barangay, coastal cleanup set tomorrow

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Coastline Management Board in cooperation with the City River Management Council will hold the 24th Coastal and 20th Urban Clean-up tomorrow. Over 5,000 City Hall employees, barangay officials and volunteers are expected to join.

The launching area will be in barangays Tejero and Carreta where most of the heavy equipment will be deployed.

During the last quarterly clean-up, DPS estimated rounding up 130 tons of garbage.

DPS head Dionisio Gualiza said most of these were collected from Barangay Ermita because they focused on the said area. But Gualiza assured all areas will be given equal attention this time.

Fifty-two barangays will participate in the clean-up, 16 of which are coastline barangays.

The mayor issued a memorandum directing all city hall employees to participate, Gualiza said there will be a sanction for those who will not cooperate.

The clean-up will focus on canals, estuaries, rivers, creeks and the coastline. Gualiza said they will include the removal of illegal streamers in the sidewalks.

Gualiza said that the garbage to be collected will be brought to the Material Recovery Facility of the city in Barangay Inayawan.

He said plastic remains the number one problem of the city because it clogs up the canals and drainage system.

Meanwhile, Mayor Michael Rama and the officials of barangays Sambag I and Sambag II broke ground yesterday for the P8.6-million drainage project from Alcantara St. going to Urgello St. and Leon Kilat St.

The project was funded under last year’s Supplemental Budget No. 5 which is very significant for the residents of Sambag I because they hope that it will solve the flooding problem in the area.

Sambag I Barangay Captain Jerry Guardo said that the lack of a proper drainage system and flooding in the area has been their problem since he was a child so the barangay is thankful that they will finally have a drainage system.

Urgello St. will be closed to traffic once the project starts.

Rama said he has ordered the Department of engineering and public works to fast track the implementation of infrastructure projects as quick as possible especially for the flood mitigating projects. (FREEMAN)