Labangon captain seeks partnership with neighbors
After two weeks of cleaning up the Kinalumsan River, officials of Barangay Labangon, Cebu City see the need to work with neighboring barangays to continue the cleanup drive.
Neophyte Labangon barangay captain Derrick Yap said he hopes to meet with neighboring barangay officials soon for a unified effort in cleaning up the Kinalumsan river.
Barangay Labangon has so far collected over a hundred tons of garbage from the river in two weeks of their cleanup drive.
Yap said that with the assistance of Cebu City South District Congressman Edu Rama, they were able to use the excavating equipment of the Department of Public Works and Highways, including its 6-wheeler trucks where the garbage and silt were transported.
Yap said though that they have been struggling with the budget on fuel for the said equipment.
Yap also revealed that they had to temporarily dismantle some of the riprap owned by private individuals near the rivers for the backhoe to fit in some of the areas in Kinalumsan.
“We took the initiative to personally call the owners of these areas and luckily they have agreed to sacrifice a portion of their properties for us to proceed with the clean-up operations,” said Yap.
After cleaning it up, personnel from barangay Labangon set up nets in the river borders of Labangon and its neighboring barangays.
Street cleaners in the barangay were also told to pick up garbage in the rivers every afternoon to keep it clean. However, Yap admits there are still more things to be done.
“More or less we are still at 50 percent of our target in cleaning Kinalumsan River, but we are very optimistic
and with the help of our residents by disciplining them, hopefully, we can achieve our goals,” said Yap while pushing for better information education and communication among the residents in his barangay.
More importantly, Yap stressed that he looks forward to meeting with the neighboring barangay officials and hopefully join forces to keep the river clean.
The barangay chief is also looking into improving their garbage collection, especially those sitios that are near the rivers.
“The administration now is working on purchasing new garbage trucks and I believe the Cebu City Government will also help us with the garbage trucks and the barangay itself through our funds we will find ways to solve the issue of garbage collection,” added Yap.
Less than 100 days since he assumed into office, Yap aims to make Barangay Labangon clean and peaceful.
“I believe when it’s clean, when it’s peaceful more investors will come in and trust the barangay,” shared Yap.-Caecent Noot Magsumbol/ATO