ILOILO – Brief rain showers did not hamper the province-wide cleanup drive dubbed “Limpyo Iloilo.” Hundreds of volunteers from the province’s 43 local government units took part in Friday’s simultaneous activity.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., who led the launching of the campaign in Santa Barbara, Iloilo, underscored the importance of cleanliness in addressing not only visual pollution but also in curbing the spread of communicable diseases.
“Cleanliness should become a way of life. We must first appreciate cleanliness, so we can make it a habit,” stressed Defensor in his speech at Santa Barbara National High School (SBNHS).
The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) spearheads this campaign which will be done every third Saturday of each month in line with Provincial Ordinance No. 2018-184, Series of 2019 (“An ordinance requiring all local government units in coastal areas of the province of Iloilo to conduct a community-based coastal clean-up activity once a month”).
The program’s launch at the SBNHS was attended by about 600 national and local government employees.
Other “Limpyo” partners come from nongovernment organizations, the religious sector, people’s organizations, youth organizations, and cooperatives.
According to Defensor, he wanted the province to have a “clean province identity” through the campaign.
“We don’t end here. This is just the beginning,” he said.
Defensor even sought to revive the “four o’clock habit” when people gather to clean their surroundings every 4 p.m.
Defensor also reminded Ilonggos of the provincial ordinance that regulates the use of single-use plastics, which he pointed to as the top source of trash in the province.
“Single-use plastic is the number one source of litter and we must use ‘alat’ (handwoven basket) when we go to the market,” he said.
For his part, Santa Barbara mayor Rema Somo, supports the revival of four o’clock habit or the “once a week search for key containers and other breeding sites of mosquitoes and eventually destroy them at 4-o’clock in the afternoon in every household” as one of the preventive measure against dengue.
The provincial government has previously launched several cleanup initiatives amid the dengue scare last year. These included the Brigada Eskwela Kontra Dengue; province-wide cleanup drive held every Saturday which lasted for a month; and the one-day cleanup of the entire Capitol premises. (Capitol News/PN)
