THE Davao City Ancillary Services Unit (ASU) and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) reported an increase in the number of volunteers from the Badjao community during their recent coastal clean-up drive.
“Every Saturday we hold a coastal clean-up activity, and last Saturday we noticed that there are more Badjaos who voluntarily cleaned their community and their coastline,” Paul Bermejo, head of the ASU, said during the ISpeak Media Forum on Thursday.
Bermejo also said that since the program’s implementation, they have noticed an improvement in the cleanliness of the coastal area.
For around three months, the ASU, CENRO, City Agriculturist’s Office (CAgrO) and other concerned agencies have conducted several information education campaigns (IEC) in the Badjao community to equip them with the knowledge on proper solid waste management.
Rodulfo Caducoy, IEC in-charge of the CENRO, shared that their team conducted a survey to identify the interventions that they can implement in the community.
Following the IECs and clean-up activities conducted in the Badjao community, both the ASU and CENRO observed that they can already move forward to another barangay to duplicate the interventions.
The ASU and CENRO, however, assured the public that they will continue to monitor the implementation of the solid waste management in the coastal community.
“There will still be Bantay Dagat volunteers who will encourage them to clean their community. CENRO personnel are also present to continue teaching them on how to properly handle their wastes,” Bermejo said.
He added that the CAgrO conducted trainings in the community on container gardening wherein they teach the community on how to recycle garbage and reuse these for urban agriculture.
Currently, the ASU and CENRO are eyeing to conduct IECs and clean-up activities in the relocation area near the coastal area after receiving reports of wastes clogging the concrete wavebreakers.
The ASU has again called on the barangays to initiate their own clean-up operations in their communities especially in their drainages.
Bermejo reminded the barangays that they play a crucial role in the city’s solid waste management, health activities especially in the dengue prevention initiatives, road clearing, and drainage clean-up activities. CIO
