LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Ilocos Norte implements the KALINISAN (Kalinga at Inisyatiba para sa Malinis na Bayan) sa Bagong Pilipinas program in the province.
This program is a government effort to institutionalize clean-up drives to raise public awareness and participation in environmental responsibilities through proper waste management.
On March 9, around 200 participants joined the DILG to help pick up trash along Sabo Dam, highway, and under the bypass bridge at Barangay 45-Tangid in Laoag City.
The team collected close to 120 kilograms of biodegradable and nonbiodegradable waste, including used plastic, paper, and dried leaves and twigs.
The local officials of Brgy. Tangid, personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), 4th Marine Brigade, Philippine Army, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office (INPPO), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and some private organizations also joined the activity.
In an interview, Gerald Gallardo, OIC Provincial Director of DILG Ilocos Norte said all the barangays in the province are now mandated to conduct weekly cleaning activities in their respective localities.
“The primary objective of this program is to institutionalize cleaning in the community, that is why we are encouraging all barangays officials, community workers, and residents to actively participate in clean-up activities in their surroundings to ensure and sustain a clean environment free from any form of diseases for a health community,” he said.
He also asked for discipline among residents to stop throwing garbage in public spaces and practice proper segregation of waste.
Aside from the clean-up drive, the participants also took and signed a pledge of commitment to maintain cleanliness in their surroundings, to segregate waste, to avoid single-use plastics, and to sustain cleanup activities in their own localities.
