Public urged to join‘adopt an estero’ drive

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7 urged organizations and industries who are interested in improving the condition of our waterways to join their campaign towards promoting public health and safety.

The call is part of DENR’s Adopt-an-Estero program which encourages the business sector, together with the local government units and civil society, to clean up and maintain a particular estero.

Isabelo Montejo, DENR-7 regional executive director said that the DENR has entered into a number of agreements under the Adopt-an-Estero program since 2010.

Given that most of these rivers and creeks are tributaries of lakes, seas and oceans, Montejo appealed to the communities living along the riverbanks including the business establishments to share a collective effort by not throwing their garbage into these waterways and join instead in cleanup drives.

In a related development, around 1,500 participants from the various institutions both private and public attended the recent Walking for Water activity.

About 700 people, mostly students participated in a one-day simultaneous cleanup covering six rivers and four creeks in the province of Cebu as part of the celebration of the World Water Day.

The clean-up activity was initiated by DENR-7 with the Environmental Management Bureau-7 in the Butuanon, Lugot, Guindarohan, Pilipog-Gabi, Sapangdaku and Buanoy rivers; and Hipodromo, Jagobiao, Tipo, and Luknay creeks.

The said activity was attended by some LGUs, business groups, the academe, the private sector and other stakeholders.

The undertaking, Montejo said, is part of the “Linis Estero/Ilog” program which encourages the private sectors to extend necessary support in cleaning up waterways particularly in urban centers.   (FREEMAN)