TUBA, Benguet– More than 40 sacks of solid waste were collected during the “plogging” event along the Bued River and Kennon Road last week.
In celebration of the World Water Day, the Environmental Management Bureau-Cordillera, in partnership with the local government unit of Tuba including the barangays along Kennon Road conducted a one day plogging along Kennon Road and Bued River last March 22.
EMB-CAR Information Officer Claire Luminang explained that plogging is a combination of jogging while picking up litter along the path. It started as an activity in Sweden in 2016 and it spread to other countries following the increased concern about plastic pollution.
As a work out, it provides variation in body movements by adding bending, squatting and stretching to the main action of running, hiking or walking.
The plogging activity was conceptualized to clean up Bued River and Kennon Road which is still closed to traffic. At the same time, to provide physical exercise to the participants composed of government employees from the different line agencies in the region, Tuba municipal employees, barangay officials and folks along road and other volunteers from the private sector.
The more than 100 volunteers were divided into two groups– one group was deployed at the Camp 6 Barangay where they started the plogging activity while the other group started from the Camp 1 Barangay Hall. Both groups converged at the Camp 3 Barangay Hall where all the waste were collected and a simple program was held.
In her message during the program, EMB-CAR Regional Director Ma. Victoria Abrera encouraged the public to be disciplined particularly in proper waste disposal and management.
“Cleanliness and discipline should be a way of life,” said Abrera who led the team coming from Camp 1 together with Tuba Mayor Ignacio Rivera.
“The activity (plogging) solves the problem temporarily, it is just a pinch of a solution of the problem on garbage. Kahit na pulutin natin lahat ng basura sa kalsada, it won’t end unless we are disciplined,” she said.
For his part, Rivera called on the public particularly motorists plying Kennon Road to refrain from using the road as a dumping area of garbage. He noted that when Kennon Road was opened for motorists, litters could be found along the road. It is important for road users be disciplined as well, he said.
In February this year, more than six tons of solid waste garbage were hauled from the whole stretch of the Bued River from Baguio City to Camp 1 in Tuba, Benguet following the massive clean up drive led by the DENR-Cordillera family. **JDP/RMC- PIA CAR
