ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. and Mayor Rosario Mediatrix Fernandez led San Enrique town’s cleanup drive and tree planting activity.
The municipal government’s synchronized “Limpyo San Enrique” and “Tanum San Enrique” under the IBAPAKA (Isang Bayan Para sa Kalikasan) program was held on Tuesday morning, June 27. The tree planting activity was in the uplands of Barangay Compo, while the clean-up drive was conducted around the municipal plaza and town proper.
“This is a simultaneous activity in 28 barangays in support of and in line with the Tanum Iloilo and Limpyo Iloilo programs of the provincial government led by Gov. Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr.,” said Fernandez.
Tanum San Enrique aimed to plant 25,000 seedlings.
Municipal employees, barangay volunteers, socio-civic groups and the community joined the simultaneous cleanup activity around the town proper and in all 28 different barangays.
Meanwhile, Defensor thanked Fernandez and the municipal officials for leading the environmental activity.
Fourth District’s Provincial Board member Rolando Distura was also present at the launching of Limpyo San Enrique while Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) chief Atty. Cesar Emmanuel Buyco and his staff were present for the two activities.
Last week, Defensor said there would be a province-wide Limpyo Iloilo and tree planting to prevent the spike in dengue cases and Japanese Encephalitis in the province.
As of June 3 this year, the province had 14 cases with four deaths from Japanese encephalitis.
As of June 10, there were 571 dengue cases with one death — higher than the seven percent of the same period in 2022 of 535 cases with six deaths.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection that causes a severe flu-like illness that can sometimes be fatal. Its carriers are day-biting mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti) that live and breed in clean, stagnant water.
Meanwhile, Japanese encephalitis is caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), which can be transmitted through bites from mosquitoes called Culex tritaeniorhynchus that live in rural/agricultural areas such as rice-growing and pig-farming regions./PN
