THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has collected a total of 25.52 truckloads of trash from selected areas across the 17 local government units in Metro Manila as part of its participation in government’s clean-up drive held over the weekend.
MMDA Acting Chairman Romando S. Artes said that the program—called “Kalinisan sa Bagong Pilipinas”—is a big boost to the his agency’s solid waste management initiatives.
Artes said the program is “is in sync with our constant call to the public to do their part in lessening, if not eliminating, our wastes.” He added that the MMDA joins the call of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) “to renew and strengthen community participation in our fight against indiscriminate solid waste disposal.”
“Taking care of our environment is our shared responsibility,” Artes said.
Aside from the kick-off ceremony held at the Baseco Compound in Tondo, Manila, the MMDA conducted 16 other cleanup drives in different locations per city in the metropolis with a total of 350 personnel deployed for the activity.
Among the areas where simultaneous cleanup drives were held include the following barangays: Tanza (Tanza Marine Tree Park) in Navotas City; Tonsuya (Letre Creek) in Malabon City; Paso de Blas (De Castro Subdivision) in Valenzuela City; 28, 14 (C-3 Road) and 12 Lapu-lapu Creek in Caloocan City; Commonwealth and Talipapa in Quezon City; Batis in San Juan City; Addition Hills in Mandaluyong City; Tumana and Malanday (Creek) in Marikina City; Pinagbuhatan (Avesa Creek) in Pasig City; San Pedro in Pateros; Ususan Kalayaan in Taguig City; San Isidro (Tripa de Gallina site) in Makati City; 145- 190/Santo Niño, Don Carlos (Tripa de Gallina) in Pasay City; Tramo (Redemptorist Channel) in Parañaque City; Poblacion (Biazon Road) in Muntinlupa City; and, Pulang Lupa Uno and Manuyo Dos in Las Piñas City.
Coinciding with the Celebration of the Annual Community Development Day, the program is a convergence initiative to consolidate all efforts of the government to maintain and provide a healthy and safe environment for all by capacitating local government units and enabling community participation anchored on a new brand of “bayanihan.”
The initiative is in line with the Marcos government’s “Bagong Pilipinas” concept of building better and cleaner communities. It aims to raise awareness and encourage participation among the public on environmental responsibility through proper solid waste management; to encourage local government units to invest in programs, projects, and activities on solid waste management and ecological practices, and to set up a recognition system for the cleanest barangay and municipalities.
The cleanup drive was attended by officials from different government agencies such as Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Health, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Philippine National Police, among others.