TACLOBAN CITY- While this city’s major bodies of water are often seen to be dirty with all sorts of wastes could be seen floating, the Fishery Law Enforcement Team (FLET) insists that they are doing their job in cleaning them up.
In fact, their main concern now involves the cleaning up of the Panalaron Bay, said Carlos Dave Castello, FLET coordinator.
Earlier, photos of Panalaron Bay, one of the city’s major bays, full with garbage circulated in the social media with netizens calling the attention of the city government to conduct its own clean up.
Cleaning up or rehabilitating the country’s major bodies of water has become a sort of frenzy after President Rodrigo Duterte issued an order to collect garbage at the Manila Bay and restore its old glory.
Manila Bay is earlier known to have one of the best spots in the world for watching sunset.
Castello said that their office, together with the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) and the Tacloban Youth Office, and even some volunteers are taking turns in cleaning up the city’s bodies of water, to include Panalaron Bay, long before Mr. Duterte directed for cleanup of bays and creeks.
The city’s main public market, seaport, and several business establishments and houses are located along the coast of Panalaron Bay.
Castello said that their cleanup was previously done thrice a week, depending on the availability of the speed boats which are also being used on Bantay Dagat operations.
The cleanup covers all the waterways of Tacloban, he added.
Castello said that the program’s purpose is to spread environmental awareness and protection.
Today (February 2), youth volunteers will disseminate flyers regarding public awareness on why it is not appropriate to throw wastes in the sea, and penalties sanctioned on individuals who practice disobedience of the law as a means of helping the environment to become cleaner and healthier in the years to come, the FLET official said. (KIARA ARABELLA ALER, THEA MENDOZA, AMIRA MAE MIRALLES, STUDENT INTERNS, ST. THERESE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION OF TACLOBAN, INC.)
