A total of 700 volunteers recently trooped to the main thoroughfares of barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City to clean up its drainage and sewerage system.
The Mactan Economic Zone 2 – Multipartite Monitoring Team, in partnership with the Lapu-Lapu City government, MEZ2 enterprises, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Environmental Management Bureau, Philippine Economic Zone Authority, desilted the canals and drainage pipes from Maximo Patalingjug to Basak-Marigondon Road in the annual drainage cleanup drive.
AboitizLand, developer and administrator of MEZ2, mobilized their employees to volunteer for the annual undertaking.
Marissa Codiñera-Gorosin, AboitizLand’s MEZ2 Health Safety and Environment officer, said more residents in Lapu-Lapu City participated in this year’s activity in celebration of National Clean-up Month.
She said the growing number of participants led to the success of the event.
About 30 cubic meters of solid waste were collected from the 3.4-km long drainage pipes during the half-day event.
Last year, around 300 volunteers retrieved six cubic meters of solid waste from 2-km long drainage pipe.
The cleanup drive aimed to raise awareness among the residents on the benefits of garbage-free waterways. Garbage clogs canals and causes floods during the rainy season.
Also participating in the cleanup were Philippine Air Force, Red Cross Lapu-Lapu chapter, barangay Basak officials and ROTC students of the Philipine State College of Aeronautics.