In Cebu City, ‘rangers’ tapped to keep rivers clean

CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — A team of “river rangers” will soon be deployed by the local government to ensure that the city’s waterways will be free of trash.

Raquel Arce, head of Cebu City’s Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification and Enhancement (Probe) Team, said the city was planning to tap the services of barangay emergency responders for this task, which is part of a river cleanup project led by former Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu.

“These responders will be trained as river rangers who may issue citation tickets to violators. They will be assigned to monitor the condition of rivers and watch for people who are making these dirty,” Arce said.

Mayor Michael Rama recently launched “Task Force Disiplina” where Probe and other city offices make sure that residents do not litter, spit, or smoke in public places.

Arce said monitoring of people throwing trash in the city’s rivers will be part of the task force’s responsibility.

Cebu City has at least 800 emergency responders from its 80 barangays, or about 10 for each village. They are primarily tasked to assist residents during times of calamities and disasters.

—DALE ISRAEL

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