Eco-stations ready to keep Cebu City clean

The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) has established eco-stations along the Sinulog route, as well as in Plaza sa Sugbo and at Plaza Independencia.

Last Friday, personnel from CCENRO installed the eco-stations in those areas in order to ensure the cleanliness of the city, considering the influx of devotees during Sinulog festival celebration.

The eco-stations are made up of tents where four garbage receptacles labelled with corresponding type of waste which includes biodegradable, non-biodegradable, residual and special waste are placed.

CCENRO Head Nida Cabrera told The FREEMAN that most of the eco-stations are located along Osmeña Boulevard, since it is the main street for the grand parade and venue for other Sinulog events.

This is the second year that CCENRO implemented this garbage disposal scheme in order to educate the public to throw their garbage properly.

“Nakakolekta mi last year, almost six tons of trash sa atong mga eco-stations. So, kon wala pa nakakolekta, apil to sa nagpasad sa dalan,” Cabrera said.

In fact, to ensure that after the Sinulog events there will be less trash seen on the streets, the city government will still implement the anti-littering ordinance.

Cabrera said the Barangay Environmental Officers (BEOs) will reprimand those who violate the ordinance for the first offense. They will then issue citation tickets for the subsequent infraction.

Under the anti-littering ordinance, violators who were given citations will have to pay a fine amounting to P500 up to P1,000 or render community service.

Cabrera said there are 220 BEOs deployed in various streets in the City of Cebu to apprehend violators.

She added there will also be around 40 volunteers from the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)-7 who will help the city in enforcing the ordinance.

They will roam around the city bringing plastic bags in order to pick up trashes that were littered along the streets. They would start deploying personnel today.

For this year, she asked the public to help the city government in making the city clean even during and after the Sinulog celebration.

“Akong hangyo sa tanan motambong sa atong Sinulog nga unta motabang sila nga magpabiling limpyo ang atong siyudad kay ang basura atoa ng individual nga responsibility. Og dili nato atimanon ang problema mobalik ra natong tanan,” Cabrera said.

At least four schools are being prepared to house the competing contingents from neighboring towns and provinces for the 39th Sinulog Grand Parade on Sunday.

Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak, chairman of the Sinulog Foundation Inc.-Executive Committee, said the billeting schools are Labangon Elementary School, Abellana National School, Regino Mercado Elementary School and Cebu City Central School.

“Nag-andam na ta sa ilang kapuyan. Mangabot atong mga out-of-town contingents sugod karong Tuesday (we are preparing the billeting places. The out-of-town contingents will start arriving on Tuesday),” he told The FREEMAN.

Tumulak said the Department of Public Services and the Department of Education Cebu City Division have prepared the additional lighting and portable toilets for the contingents.

He said the contingents will be equally distributed among the different schools, with each accommodating not more than four contingents.

The out-of-town contingents are Placer, Surigao del Norte; Murcia, Negros Occidental; Province of North Cotabato; and Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte.

The contingents from Cebu Province are Daanbantayan, Cebu; cities of Carcar, Talisay and Bogo; and the towns of Ginatilan and Consolacion.

The contingents that will be housed in Abellana National School are contingents from Consolacion, Cebu; Province of North Cotabato; Murcia, Negros Occidental; and Placer, Surigao del Norte.

Contingents from Talisay City and Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte will be housed at Regino Mercado Elementary School while contingents from Carcar City and Ginatilan will stay at the Labangon Elementary School.

Props and contingents of Bogo City and Daanbantayan will stay at the Cebu City Central School.

Tumulak said the same setup in the previous years will be implemented to ensure that there will be no classes that will be disrupted.

He said possible makeup classes will be done for the affected classes.

In the previous years, affected classes will hold classes for at least five consecutive Saturdays to cover the affected classes.

For the Sinulog Grand Parade this coming Sunday, at least 24 contingents will compete for the title. The number of contingents is fewer compared to last year’s 30.

This year, however, will have five guest performances from Sindanduloy Cultural Dance Troupe of Tangub City, Cebu City Government, Cebu Province, Philippine National Police, and the Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival from South Korea.