Volunteers get rice for sack of waste in coastal clean-up

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By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The city government here distributed two kilos of rice to volunteers for every sack of garbage or waste collected during the coastal clean-up in Barangay Banago here in celebration of the birthday of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday.

Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez, who was also present during the coastal clean-up, said that community service is one of the President’s wishes.

Benitez said that this activity will continue, as he noted that garbage is one of the reasons for flooding in this city.

The wastes were taken by garbage disposal contractor IPM for disposal, he added.

More than 1,000 volunteers joined the activity, which will also be conducted in Barangay Singcang-Airport on September 16, the mayor said.

Aside from this, Benitez said that a dental mission was also conducted by the City Health Office.

When asked about his wish for the President, Benitez said that he may have good health to face all the challenges and the wisdom and guidance of the Lord to be able to perform and govern effectively.

The city is continuously distributing rice assistance to all residents who were affected by Typhoon “Goring” last month.

Benitez said that almost 70 percent have already received the rice assistance since its distribution last week.

Benitez earlier said that all residents of the city can avail of the rice subsidy, as everyone has been affected by the typhoon.

The local government allocated P40 million for the said program, which aims to benefit about 344,000 residents.

He said the remaining rice allocation will be kept in preparation for emergency situations.

Meanwhile, the City Government of Bago in Negros Occidental, through the City Environment Management Office (CEMO), also conducted a mangrove planting and coastal clean-up at Purok Batad in Barangay Sampinit yesterday.

Around 200 stakeholders including Cash For Work program recipients, members of various fisherfolk associations, purok presidents and tanods from Barangays Sampinit, Poblacion and Calumangan, and CEMO personnel, among others, planted some 4,000 mangrove propagules and collected 15 sacks of residual waste.

The activity was part of the bayanihan efforts also in celebration of the President’s birthday.