WATERWAYS CLEANUP. Community officials and members of various government agencies join hands in cleaning a waterway during the launch of the “Kalinisan sa Bagong Pilipinas” program at South Sanitary Camp Barangay in Baguio City on Saturday (Jan. 6, 2024). The cleanup drive will now be a regular activity in the different villages in all municipalities and provinces in the Cordillera region to comply with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s call for a concerted cleanup drive to maintain a clean and comfortable environment that will lead to a healthy community. (PNA photo by Liza T. Agoot)
BAGUIO CITY – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) on Saturday urged village leaders, including officials of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), to spearhead the identification and setting up of a regular cleanup day in their respective jurisdictions to maintain cleanliness and avoid illnesses.
The call was made by DILG-CAR assistant regional director Ruperto Maribbay at the launch of the nationwide cleanup drive dubbed “Kalinisan sa Bagong Pilipinas” at South Sanitary Camp Barangay, this city.
“Itong pangyayaring ito ay nationwide, at ang kautusan ng ating kalihim Secretary Benjamin Abalos, ito po ay kailangan gawin sa lahat ng barangay na pinapangunahan ng barangay officials, SK officials at hikayatin na lahat ng tao sa barangay, sa komunidad ay lumabas sa kanilang bahay at maki-isa sa Kalinisan program na ito (This is a nationwide event, and the order of Secretary Abalos is for this to be implemented in all barangays to be led by the barangay and SK officials, and to encourage community members to go out of their residences and take part in this Kalinisan program),” Maribbay said in a media interview.
He said the nationwide launch aims to drumbeat President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s call for a concerted cleanup drive to maintain a sanitary and comfortable environment that will lead to a healthy community.
Maribbay said after the launch, barangays would be responsible for setting up a regular cleanup of the alleys, canals, and waterways to prevent wastes from accumulating and allowing illness-causing insects to thrive.
Regular cleaning activity will also prevent garbage from ending in rivers and waterways leading to the ocean.
He also noted that cleanliness starts with a person, inside the residence, and extends to the yard and the community.
“Gawin natin na role model sa ating bahay, sa ating tahanan, na hindi lang ikaw ay ordinary citizen, ikaw po sana ay role model sa lahat ng miyembro ng komunidad para ipanguna ang pag gawa, itong regular practice ng paglilinis, hindi lang sa ating bahay, kundi rin sa labas ng ating bahay, sa ating kapaligiran sa komunidad (Let us be role models in our homes, that we are not just ordinary citizens but a role model to all members of the community in leading this regular practice of cleaning, not only in our homes but also in the surroundings of the community),” Maribbay said.
Commitment
Meanwhile, partner agencies who attended the launch committed to aligning their programs to the Kalinisan program of the national government.
Enrique Gascon, acting director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) – CAR, said the agency would mobilize and use the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program), KALAHI-CIDSS beneficiaries, and cash-for-work recipients to help in the Kalinisan program.
“All programs of the DSWD, we will be aligning it for this program as our contribution to the success of this initiative to make us all healthy,” Gascon said in a message during the launch.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) assistant director Benjamin Ventura also committed his department’s support for the program, which is geared towards resiliency and environment sustainability.
Meanwhile, Philippine Information Agency Director Helen Tibaldo said they would seek the help of the Presidential Communications Office family in the Cordillera to help in the information campaign to extend cooperation and unity for cleaning.
“We will do our best to utilize all information platforms to reach audiences to support this initiative that is geared towards a healthy Filipino,” she said. (PNA)
