THE ILOILO City government, inspired by the rehabilitation initiatives in Boracay and Manila Bay, is launching its own coastal cleanup in 26 villages stretching from Barangays Bitoon, Jaro to Santo Niño Sur, Arevalo. Mayor Jose S. Espinosa III said earlier this week that he already gave initial directives to environment specialists, private stakeholders, international agencies, and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) during a meeting with the Iloilo-Batiano River Development Council. “During the meeting with the Iloilo-Batiano River Development Council, we also issued a directive and we have gathered aerial photos showing the sorry state of the coastal areas,” he said. “I can remember the times before that we can still swim in our coastal waters but now it is not safe. If Boracay and Manila Bay can be cleaned, why can’t we clean our coastal treasures here in the city. We have witnessed how they did it , so we now, we are doing it here,” the mayor said. A task force will be created to take charge and monitor the clean-up implementation after he issues an executive order. CENRO head Noel Z. Hechanova said the program would only target solid wastes, which contributes to about 10%-15% of the pollution load in the coastal waters. “This is the tip of the iceberg because the solid waste only contributes around 10 to 15 (percent) in the pollution load, the rest is generated by waste waters from the comfort rooms,” he said. Mr. Hechanova emphasized the need to have proper and well-maintained septic tanks. “Once you have septic tanks, any bodies of water will be really affected. Since 2006, we have been campaigning to clean septic tanks regularly. It should also be constructed correctly,” he said. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

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