CEBU, Philippines - The staging of the controversial 2nd Isla Music Fest in Santa Fe town in Bantayan Island last Saturday left the organizers and volunteers several sacks of garbage to collect and dispose.
More than 30 personnel of Isla Music Fest team and other volunteers braved the heavy rain and cold winds yesterday morning to pick trashes left by "party goers."
A man in his 60's, who requested anonymity, said organizers of Isla Music hired him to pick up trash.
He added that they started picking up trash around 7 a.m. yesterday.
But due to heavy down pour in the area, they found it hard to finish the task in four hours. He added they used to pick up trash last year in just two hours.
Santa Fe Mayor Jose Esgana added that by 3 p.m. yesterday, Santa Fe's shoreline has been cleaned "by all concerned citizens and public servants."
Esgana said the garbage collected in the musical event accounts to less than five percent of the total garbage collection in the town.
"Within Isla Music venue with more or less 1000 square meter area, (the) waste collected by solid waste cleaners collectors of (the) municipality of Santa Fe are less than 5% of total collected from all areas brought to (the) municipal central MRF (materials recovery facility). Total areas occupied by beach goers & visitors along (the) shoreline is more or less 10 hectares or 1 million square meters," his text message to THE FREEMAN reads.
When asked if he is going to allow Isla Music Fest next year, he did not give a categorical answer but provided requisites that organizers must comply with.
"As long as they still observe precautionary measures on their waste disposal, security and loudness. And not to disrupt or disturb (the) solemnity of (the) religious activities (of the) two churches, IFI & Catholics. And only Saturday is their main event," he replied.
Debbie Orellano, one of the organizers, said the Team Isla will be proposing another music fest next year.
She said the garbage inside the music fest's venue were properly collected and segregated and were ready for collection and delivery to the municipal MRF.
She added the bulk of the trash collected along the shoreline was in front of the venue and that these were left behind by tourists who were outside of the venue.
To fast track the cleaning of the trashes, personnel of the Cebu Provincial Public Safety Company (CPPSC) and Santa Fe Police Station helped in cleaning up the shoreline.
CPPSC Head Mario Baquiran Jr. has deployed more than 20 augmented PPSC personnel to help clear the trash in the beach.
He, himself, picked up trashes left along the shoreline.
PPSC Police Officer 1 Shiela May Opong told reporters that clean-up drives are part of the police's thrust and they are happy to serve the people of Santa Fe.
As for the Holy Week observance, police forces said it is "generally peaceful."
The police have described the situation in Bantayan Island as "generally peaceful" with no major recorded incidents in the three towns – Bantayan, Madridejos and Santa Fe.
Baquiran, in an interview, said that he and his men were deployed in the towns of Bantayan and Santa Fe, and there were no major alarms recorded during the Holy Week.
Personnel of Cebu City's Theft and Robbery Section were also deployed in Bantayan to help the local police in cases involving theft and pickpockets.
But no such incident recorded in Bantayan and Santa Fe.
Inspector Mikail Mallorca, Santa Fe Police Station chief, said no major alarms have been reported in their jurisdiction for the entire Holy Week period.
However, a man who allegedly was an emcee of an event in the town was detained for not paying for his drinks.
PO1 Gigi Villegas, desk officer of Santa Fe Police Station, said the man was released on Saturday after he paid for the damages.
Meanwhile, thousands have been stranded in Santa Fe port after the Philippine Coast Guard Central Visayas cancelled trips coming from and going to Hagnaya and Santa Fe ports after the northern part of Cebu was placed under Tropical Signal Number 1 over the weekend.
Esgana said the stranded passengers were accommodated in evacuation centers and were offered food last Saturday.
Trips from Santa Fe to Hagnaya have resumed early Sunday, after the storm signal was lifted.
Chief Petty Officer Renato Hubahib, Santa Fe Sub-station commander, said at past 4 a.m. on Easter Sunday, trips have been non-stop.
"Ang storm signal ay lifted na. Ang mga barko prepared para sayo mo-operate. At 4 a.m., non-stop ang mga barko," Hubahib said.
He said that there were several colorum motor bancas who travelled without clearances from the Bantayan Coast Guard Substation.
"Motor bancas na colorum, they will operate without coast guard clearance. Kami lang ang binabantayan," he said.
Petty Officer 3 Joel Baring was able to stop one motor banca during their inspection along the coast of Barangay Pooc, Santa Fe.
Hubahib has estimated approximately 7,000 passengers left Santa Fe for Hagnaya, San Remigio as of 5 p.m. yesterday. —/GAN (FREEMAN)