Help clean up poll dirt

CEBU, Philippines - As the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) urged all winning candidates to help remove the campaign posters, reelected Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has ordered to clean up the city from campaign materials.

Rama said he has instructed the Department of Public Services of City Hall to start cleaning up the streets.

"I have instructed my people to remove campaign materials before voting. We have already scheduled that," Rama told reporters.

DPS chief Dionesio Gualiza said they have already started removing them at public schools. He added that they have done cleaning the area from streamers as well.

A massive removal of campaign materials will be done tomorrow by at least 100 employees from DPS. It will start at 5:30 pm and will cover the entire city.

Gualiza also said he will discuss a much bigger activity to be incorporated in the Coastal Management Board cleanup scheduled this month.

CMB is composed of city street cleaners, garbage collectors, volunteers from the academe and private sector.

DENR-7 director Isabelo R. Montejo has called on all winning candidates to think of the environment and help in collecting the wastes that were generated in the last May 13 elections.

"Loads of garbage when uncollected will go to the narrow and clogged waterways thus limiting the flow of the water during heavy rains causing flood," Montejo said.

Montejo said that these wastes like tarpaulins could still be recycled instead of throwing them away as they can be used to some other purposes or turn over them to recyclable shops for a fee. --- Jessa Chrisna Marie Agua and Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/FPL