Volunteers and personnel of various agencies gathered for a clean-up drive in Guimaras on July 15, 2020 in Observance of the National Disaster Resilience Month.
The Office of the Civil Defense Region 6 led the clean-up drive at the shorelines of Barangay Hoskyn in the Municipality of Jordan and Barangays Sawang, Navalas, Tacay and San Miguel in Buenavista town.
The participants included volunteers from Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Red Cross, Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management office and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices of the Municipalities of Jordan, San Lorenzo and Nueva Valencia.
The activity coincided with the challenge Guimaras is facing after the AC Energy Oil Spill which affected 32 barangays in the province.
OCD-6 Director Jose Roberto Nuñez said that Guimaras is vulnerable to disasters because it is surrounded by waters.
According to Nuñez, it is necessary to ensure that the tragedies of the past do not happen again.
“We have to protect and see to it that iyong mga nangyari before ay hindi na mauulit. Unang-una ang mga kababayan natin especially dito sa Guimaras na most of this island is covered dito sa shoreline natin especially going to Iloilo. So kapag may mga incidents, mahihirapan talaga lalo na kung mayroon tayong mga evacuations na emergencies,” Nuñez said.
Governor Samuel T. Gumarin said that the coast clean-up is a mechanism to protect the environment not just for today but for the generations to come.
Gumarin said that Guimaras is usually hit by calamities during the month of July and August.
Guimarasnons should safeguard their habitat that has nurtured them and source of their livelihood according to the governor.
“Ang environment amo ang naga-nurture sa aton, amo ang nagabuhi sa aton, amo ang nagahatag sa aton paglaum sa subong kag sa madason nga mga henerasyon. Madula lang kita ang Hoskyn, Balaan Bukid, siyudad sang Iloilo, magapadayon kag mangin healthy paagi sa ubrahon naton subong kag sa palaabuton,” he said.
