Army reservists join green drive
CLOSE to a thousand personnel from the reserve units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), including ROTC cadets participated in environmental protection activities last May 26.
Dubbed as Linis Bayanihan “Kalinisan at kahandaan para sa maayos at ligtas na pamayanan,” more than 20 barangays in the Visayas benefited from the cleanup efforts.
In Cebu, 50 naval reservists from the AFP Central Command (Centcom) joined residents, barangay tanods and local officials in removing garbage from drainage, canals, rivers and streets in barangay Tinago, Cebu City.
Col. George Fernandez, the commanding officer of the Naval Reserve Center for Eastern Visayas, said they chose barangay Tinago because it is where their office is located. Tinago barangay captain Domingo Lopez appreciated the Naval reservists for choosing their barangay as the recipient of their cleanup drive.
Another 140 active personnel and reservists, including cadets from the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) led by Col. Edgardo Mata participated in the street cleanup in barangay Apas, Cebu City. They were joined by the tanods, local officials and residents in the barangay.
About 50 reservists from the Philippine Air Force also joined the coastal and river cleanups in barangays Tungkop and Tulay, Minglanilla town, southern Cebu, respectively.
“Environmental protection will always be a concern of the AFP,” said Major Gen. Roy Deveraturda, Centcom Commander.
“We’ve heard about stories of disasters caused by environmental degradation. That is why we are committed to take initiatives to conduct and participate in activities such as this. While we work hard to protect our people from threat groups, we also work hard to protect the environment,” he added.
