Saturday, November 24, 2012

Cleanup Seven Rivers. Creeks, Esteros in Central Visayas, Philippines

I was happy to read the following article. I wish they'd clean up the creeks in downtown Cebu, in the tourist belt area.

8 firms sign pact with DENR to clean rivers, creeks, esteros

By Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/FPL (The Freeman) | Updated November 23, 2012 - 12:00am

CEBU, Philippines - Eight private companies and corporations recently signed a memorandum of agreement to cleanup seven rivers, creeks and esteros in Central Visayas in support of the “adopt-an estero or waterbody” program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7.

Isabelo R. Montejo, DENR-7 executive director, said that with the support of the private sector, DENR intends to institutionalize proper waste management practices such as waste minimization and resource recovery among the estero communities.

  The new collaborators that signed the partnership are Aquilini Mactan Renewable Energy Inc., Atlas Fertilizer Corporation, Carmen Copper Corporation, Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Inc., Global Business Power, San Miguel Brewery Inc., Monde Nissin Corporation and the Cebu Industrial Park Developer Inc.
  Among the rivers and creeks that are up for restoration and rehabilitation are Butuanon, Tipolo, Buanoy, Arpili, Sapangdaku, Cantabaco Bay, and Luray.

The Linis Estero program of the DENR aims to mobilize adjacent communities and industries to stop illegal dumping of wastes. It also hopes to maintain proper sanitation to minimize threats to public health and safety.
Montejo also encouraged the public to participate and to take part in cleaning up their nearby river, canal or esteros, in collaboration with their local government officials and partner stakeholders to maintain a clean and pollution free water bodies in the region.

  With the reported flooding during heavy rains in some urban areas, Montejo added these organizations together with the communities themselves could initiate declogging of trash and other litters on our waterways to ensure unimpeded flow of water and reduce pollution loading to the rivers.

  As of November 21 this year, the list of partners or adoptors moved up to 22 or an increase of 22 percent of this year’s target of 18. (FREEMAN)

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's official website is ceciliabrainarddotcom. She is the award-winning author and editor of 22 books, including When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, The Newspaper Widow, Magdalena, Selected Stories, Vigan and Other Stories, and more. She edited Growing Up Filipino 1, 2, & 3, Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and other books.. Her work has been translated into Finnish and Turkish; and many of her stories and articles have been widely anthologized. Cecilia has received many awards, including a California Arts Council Fellowship in Fiction, a Brody Arts Fund Award, a Special Recognition Award for her work dealing with Asian American youths, as well as a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, 21st District, and the Outstanding Individual Award from her birth city, Cebu, Philippines. She has lectured and performed at UCLA, USC, University of Connecticut, University of the Philippines, PEN, Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and many others. She has served in the Board of literary arts groups such as PEN, PAWWA (Pacific Asian American Writers West), among others.