Lha Gallo, newly elected punong Barangay of Mandaragat, said that they hold the weekly cleanup since the start of this year.
“Ginawa na naming weekly para makita natin yung impact ng ginagawang coastal cleanup. We have mobilized the coastal residents themselves at maganda ang ipinakita nilang active participation,” the Punong Barangay said.
Their latest coastal cleanup activity was on May 4, Saturday, which their barangay also hosted the 9th episode of the Save the Bay, a project of the City Government.
Hundreds of its households are located in coastal zones which is within the coastal easement, an area supposedly for public recreational and salvage zone pursuant to the Philippine Water Code. Since these families living in the coastal households are considered as informal settlers, the City Government intends to relocate them in a housing project in Irawan, 15 Kilometers from their present location.
Among those who actively participated the activity aside from coastal residents were Barangay Officials both elected and appointed, tanod, Purok officials, 4Ps beneficiaries, barangay workers, and civic organisations based in their Barangay.
In Purok Talisay alone, they collected some 51 sacks of solid wastes, underneath the coastline’s houses. This is equivalent to more than 400 kilos.
Since coastal clean up activities are not funded in their barangays’ annual budget, officials relied mainly on donations like Kagawad Marife Diaz-Bumanlag who sponsored arroz caldo (porridge). Barangay Mandaragat has an annual budget of P23 million.
Mary Jane Magbanua is among the 4Ps beneficiaries who actively participated the activity. She said that she is proud to become part of their coastlines’ eco warriors.
Former Punong Barangay and now Kagawad Gerry Abad said that they will not stop cleaning their coastlines.
“Kahit linggo linggo na ginagawa ang coastal cleanup ang mga basura ay nandyan pa rin. Hindi pa rin nauubos ang solid wastes at mga plastic sa dagat,” Abad said.
Another initiatives that they introduced is the Palit-Basura program which started before the pandemic sometime in 2018 during the term of Abad. This time, Gallo find the program as important in getting rid of solid wastes thus she vow to sustain it.
Mandaragat is among the urban barangays in this city who are among those who championed solid waste management. Community Development Officer IV Mary Ann Joylle Madriñan of the Office of the City ENRO said that Mandaragat have been implementing various projects on solid waste management even more than 10 years ago, during Abad’s leadership. Mandaragat also established 13 Gulayan so that biodegradable solid wastes will be directly transported by Barangay worker they call bio-man to these Gulayan. In this way, the solid wastes from their Barangay that will be collected by the City Solid Waste Management (CSWM) trucks are only residual wastes like soiled plastic like roll bag, thin film, sando bags and other single use plastic packaging like sachets.
But what is interesting about this Barangay is that they do not have waste bins that scattered in its streets and alleys. But rather they teach local residents to bring their solid wastes during waste collection schedule only.
In the entire Puerto Princesa, there are 180 to 200 tons of mixed wastes daily that reached its sanitary landfill. A volume that the City authorities fear might reached the facility’s maximum capacity. But with the impact Mandaragat is trying to achieve, they are hopeful that it will yield tangible results for the people and the environment.