MANILA, Philippines – Don’t be surprised by the new yellow signs on the streets of Pasig City – they are not new street names, but names of the sweeper responsible for cleaning that stretch of road.

Gilda Lavilla, chief of the city’s Clean and Green department, said the city has become more creative in its efforts to promote cleanliness.

By putting the names of the sweeper and their supervisor on city street signs, it would be easier to monitor their work, she added.

“In the past, I had to search the records to see who was in charge of a street. Now, you already know the person assigned to it,” Lavilla said.

The initiative, hopefully, will encourage street sweepers to keep the streets free from litter and trash by giving them a sense of being keepers of the street.

The city government started the project a few months ago. Lavilla said the initiative was a success, noting that the city streets are now cleaner and more orderly.

The city government employs about 500 street cleaners who work two shifts a day, from 5 a.m.-10 a.m. and from 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

The cleanliness campaign is part of Mayor Robert Eusebio’s project to make Pasig a green city by improving the quality of life through environment-friendly initiatives, Lavilla said.

Recently, as part of the city’s Earth Day projects, Eusebio spearheaded tree-planting activities in various public places. He also called on tricycle drivers in the city to use the “greener” liquefied petroleum gas instead of gasoline.