Volunteers clean Bohol Rivers

Over 2,000 volunteers beat the sunrise on Friday morning, February 22, to participate in the clean-up drive at the Abatan River as part of the simultaneous river clean-up in 10 rivers in Central Visayas.

Volunteers helped clean litter and debris at various river
 and stream sites in Bohol province on Friday, Feb. 22
as part of Department of Environment and Natural Resources
\(DENR)’s Simultaneous River Clean-Up Drive in Central Visayas.
Photo by Leo Udtohan

Among the volunteers were students of Bohol Island University (BISU) and employees of the Alturas Group of Companies who came to respond to the call of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) for volunteers.

They helped clean litter and debris in Abatan River in Cortes town, Inabanga River in Inabanga town and  Manaba River in Garcia Hernandez.

Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) Charlie Fabre said the activity was in line with the “RIVERs for Life” Program of DENR.

Fabre said the rivers and streams in Bohol are already Type B and C rivers which indicates that these rivers are no longer safe for drinking or bathing.

“This is a great event because everybody cares about cleaning up trash, everybody cares about cleaning up the rivers,” said Emmie Roslinda of PROCESS (Participatory Research, Organization of Communities and Education towards Struggle for Self-Reliance).

Roslinda added the event was to show the community the importance of rivers in Bohol.

“It’s a good time for a good cause,” said Guy Bernaldez from the Alturas Group of Companies with other 61 volunteers from the company.

Using a kayak to clean the Bacong River headwaters in Cortes town
in Bohol province on Friday, volunteer Rey Anthony Chiu of the
Philippine Information Agency (PIA)-Bohol collected plastic bottles
and bags, discarded nets, assorted cellophane wrappers, rubber slippers
and Styrofoam food packs. Friday’s activity was part of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
simultaneous river clean-up drive in Central Visayas. Photo by Leo Udtohan

Rivers in Bohol--Abatan River in Cortes and Maribojoc towns, Loay River in Loay town  and Loboc River in Loboc town --are famous attractions in Bohol. These serve as the habitat of fireflies and highlight the life of the Boholanos.  

Although rivers and streams in Bohol are still-healthy compared to other provinces, volunteers still scraped tons of trash.

“Plastic bottles and bags, discarded nets, assorted  cellophane wrappers, rubber slippers and Styrofoam food packs, that’s most of what we find,” said Rey Anthony Chiu of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) along with other volunteers who used kayaks to collect garbage at streams.

The country is facing a major environmental problem which may result in unhealthy living conditions, according to Fabre.

He admitted that a number of rivers in the country were biologically dead, destroyed by fecal coliform.

He is encouraging the public to take a ‘bold’ step in protecting the rivers and join the movement to save them.

“Every month activity na ito. Yung sustainability dapat mag-start not for DENR but to start from within sa mga tao sa Bohol,” he said. “Dapat gawing normal activity para walang basura na papunta sa river o walang waste na papunta doon sa river para sigurado na malinis yung tubig natin.”