Abalos: Teach cleanliness to kids at home

CEBU, Philippines — The value of cleanliness should be inculcated at home while children are still young, said Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, as he expressed gratitude to the Cebu City government for its commendation of the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s Kalinisan Program.

"Ang kalinisan ay isang aspeto na sinisimulan sa mga bata pa lang. 'Yung mga bata, sabihan natin sila na huwag magtapon. Let's make this a way of life, Abalos said during the department’s latest Kalinga at Inisyatiba para sa Malinis na Bayan (Kalinisan) clean-up in San Pedro, Laguna, over the weekend.

Abalos called on everyone to make a difference.

"Nagsisimula sa barangay, sa ating lahat. Magtulungan tayo, let's make a difference. Isigaw natin na sa panahon natin, lilinisin natin ang Bagong Pilipinas at iyan ang gusto ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr.," he added.

Abalos emphasized that old values stick, that it is important for communities to work together for the progress and cleanliness of the country, and that remarkable changes for the better would only be realized when good values and habits such as cleanliness are practiced.

Under DILG’s Kalinisan Day activity, an average of 504,059 individuals are participating in the weekly clean-up drives as per DILG’s monitoring from February to March 2, 2024.

For Region 7 alone, 36,577 individuals participated in weekly clean-up drives and 46% of barangays in the region cleaned up 9,694 sites. As for the volume of garbage collected, Region 7 posted 503,730 kilograms.

The Cebu City Council commended the Kalinisan Program through a resolution, recognizing the program's significant strides in promoting a cleaner and more sustainable future for Filipinos.

The DILG expressed its gratitude for the recognition, saying that the program’s success would not have been without their regional offices and the support of the LGUs. — (FREEMAN)