BAGUIO CITY, August 11, 2010 - The relentless campaign of the local government to restore the cleanliness of this city is gaining support from various sectors of society. Professionals, women, senior citizens, youth, drivers and operators, government officials and employees, law enforcers, and barangays renewed their commitment to support the endeavor of the Alay sa Kalinisan, a government-led and private sector-supported group, to instill in the minds of local residents the urgent need to clean their respective communities in order to reinvigorate the city's beauty.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, a staunch advocate of cleanliness and greenery, said the snowballing support the local government is getting in terms of efforts to start the cleanliness campaign in different communities in Baguio City indicates the vigilance of the public in helping restore the city's grandeur that was lost over the past several years. According to him, 128 barangays were tasked to replicate the clean and green effort that was started over a decade ago, which saw Baguio City garner the Hall of Fame award in the cleanest and greenest highly urbanized city category for three consecutive times. At the same time, the local government will revive the monthly cleanup campaign so that all sectors will be reminded of their duty to keep their communities clean.
Domogan also ordered the elements of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) to sustain their efforts in implementing the anti-peddling, anti-spitting, anti-smoking, anti-littering ordinances, among others, so that local residents and tourists will be disciplined in complying with existing rules and regulations. If the city was successful in achieving the coveted award in the past, Domogan claimed it is still possible for the city to restore its cleanliness to maintain its status as one of the prime tourist destinations in the country. In order to ensure that waterways in the different barangays will not be clogged, barangay officials were mandated to remove the debris in creeks and canals in their respective areas of jurisdiction to prevent the flooding of low-lying communities during strong rains.
Aside from the various sectors, Domogan asked school officials to constantly remind their pupils to observe cleanliness, citing that he had observed many boy and girl scouts who are not observant of cleanliness activities. As an example, he claimed boy and girl scouts usually leave their dirt on the parade route during the conduct of various activities, which is an indication that more teachings should be done by the teachers so that they will learn to observe cleanliness in their undertakings. He reiterated his appeal to local residents and tourists to cooperate with the standing policies that the local government is strictly implementing, especially relative to cleanliness, so that goals and objectives could be attained the soonest.
