Even if we want to contribute to saving the environment, it’s sometimes hard to find the best way to do it. Project Green Islands aims to spread the word about simple ways to get involved and to encourage change.
Every year, massive amounts of garbage are collected during the festival. In 2018 alone, 219 tons of garbage was collected. This is almost 10% of the garbage collected in Metro Cebu on an average day.
"We worked hard the whole week in maintaining cleanliness,” said PRWorks Founder and CEO Doris Isubal-Mongaya as she described the aftermath of a concert at Plaza Independencia during Sinulog 2018. “Trash was everywhere at the plaza, except inside the trash bins.”
The agency was tapped by the Sinulog Foundation Inc. to organize the Sinulog fairs, the ticket marketing and sales, and the Sinulog app. The major fair project then was Kalingawan sa Plaza in Cebu City’s biggest park fronting scenic Fort San Pedro.
The agency was tapped by the Sinulog Foundation Inc. to organize the Sinulog fairs, the ticket marketing and sales, and the Sinulog app. The major fair project then was Kalingawan sa Plaza in Cebu City’s biggest park fronting scenic Fort San Pedro.
The same thing happened during Sinulog 2019, like previous years. Sinulog revelers leave tons of garbage.
“As a child, I believed that cleanliness is next to Godliness. The Sinulog which is a celebration of Jesus as a Child should have taught Cebuanos to clean as they go about the festival,” said Mongaya.
But no. The Cebu City government has only begun as shown by the council approval of a resolution passed by Councilor Alvin Dizon prohibiting the use of styrofoam and single-use plastics for food and beverage preparation at the Sinulog grandstand. The resolution also sought sufficient trash bins and eco-stations at the Cebu City Sports Center and along the Sinulog routes.
“We should be conscious of the waste we generate during Sinulog festivities given the harmful impacts of these on our environment especially clogging up our drainage during raining season resulting in heavy flooding in our city,” said Dizon.
Dizon also urged the Department of Public Services and Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) to put up visible signages which will serve as a reminder to people to throw and dispose of their waste properly.
He also asked establishments along the Sinulog routes to set up their own eco-stations for proper waste management.
Traditionally, government focused on deploying an army of aides to clean up after the festivities and ensure a clean city when the sun rises. The citizens just go about merrily throwing whatever trash they can.