Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. speaks during the nationwide simultaneous launching of the Kalinga at Inisyatiba para sa Malinis na Bayan or Kalinisan Project at Baseco Compound in Manila on January 6, 2023. (Screen grabbed from a video on the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s Facebook page.)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said it will establish a system to recognize the cleanest barangays in the country as part of its Kalinga at Inisyatiba para sa Malinis na Bayan or Kalinisan Project.
The DILG said in a statement on Sunday that this system will cover 42,000 barangays in the country and would be in place to monitor, evaluate, and award the tidiest barangays.
“Imo-monitor natin ang performance ng bawat barangay on a monthly basis. And quarterly, magkakaron tayo ng awarding. Tututukan talaga natin ito,” Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said during the nationwide simultaneous launching of the Kalinisan Project at the Baseco Compound in Manila.
(We will monitor the performance of every barangay on a monthly basis. And quarterly, we will have an awarding. We will definitely focus on this.)
According to the DILG, the Kalinisan Project is a “new convergence initiative to maintain and provide a healthy and safe environment” for Filipinos.
In line with the project, Abalos also urged local governments to invest in programs and projects on solid waste management and ecological practices.
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“Sana hindi lang ngayong araw ito. Sana gawin natin ito araw-araw sa ating mga barangay, sa ating mga kabahayan. Gawin natin itong way of life. Dapat kahit saan tayo magpunta malinis,” he stressed.
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(I hope it’s not just for today. I hope we do this every day in our barangays, in our homes. Let’s make it a way of life. Wherever we go, it should be clean.)
The Interior secretary likewise called on local officials to pass ordinances in their areas that enforce community service penalties for people caught littering or dumping trash in public spaces.