THEY came in droves, wielding their weapons of choice: gloves and sacks. They waged war with the detritus, the flotsam, and jetsam found in the seashore.
The Local Government of Cagayan de Oro through the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro) commemorated Earth Day 2024 with a coastal clean-up activity on April 20 at barangays Lapasan and Gusa. This was in collaboration with Kusgan Volunteers Inc. and the WE CAN Cagayan de Oro City Movement.
According to information obtained from Clenro, the We CAN CDO Movement is a multi-sectoral environmental advocacy group essential for promoting sustainable development for the benefit of both present and future generations, activating collective action, and influencing policy changes. They aim to address complex environmental issues by leveraging diverse expertise, resources, and perspectives to create meaningful impact and drive positive change.
Other volunteers came from schools and business establishments in the city, as well as several civic volunteer organizations.
“Kini karon nga gipahigayon nga coastal cleanup isa kani ka build up activity sa pagsaulog sa Earth Day celebration,” Said Edgardo Naguio, Chief, Waste Control Division Clenro.
“Kana siya nga selebrasyon ika 55th nato na nga pagsaulog sa adlaw sa atong planeta. Usa kani ka kalihokan sa para pa taas sa kahimatngon sa katawhan sa kamahinungdanon sa atong hiniusang lihok aron atong ma (panalipuran) atong kinaiyahan, he added.
“Atong gipanghingusgan karon ang pagpatuman sa no segregation, no collection nga sa akong tan aw dako kayo ni nga tabang aron sa pagpa ubos sa basura nga atong malabay sa atong sanitary landfill.”
The Clenro activity was conducted simultaneously in several places in the city, with volunteers combing the seashore of barangays Bulua, Bonbon, Lapasan, and Gusa.
“Unta moabot na ang panahon ngakita angandoy nga wala na untay manglimpyo sa kabaybayonan ug kasapaan kay ang mga tawo nagalantaw mangahimo na nga responsable dili na molabay bisan asa, nag focus na ang tanan sa ilang responsibilidad,” Naguio said.
City Councilor Malvern Esparcia also joined in the activity.
“Gwapo kay ni ang atong gibuhat run kay it’s an awareness nga sa tinud anay lang, naa koy pending nga resolution nga nga ipadeklara si Mayor Klarex Uy nga Cagayan de Oro under na sa climate emergency. Kung inyong tan awon grabe na ka init. Ang temperature taas na kayo,” he told Gold Star Daily. Esparcia is the Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the city council
Part of the program was the signing of a pledge by the participants which read, in part: “to protect the environment, and to take concrete actions to create a sustainable future for all.”
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