Marikina City Mayor Marides C. Fernando appealed on Saturday to non-government organizations and private organizations to lend their heavy equipment to the city government to help remove the tons of garbage littering the city.

She said piles of garbage surround the city market. At the same time, electricity is still not restored in some parts of the city.

Fernando said the city had its own heavy equipment to be used in case of emergency, but they were damaged during the heavy flood that hit the city.

The lack of heavy equipment to clean tons of garbage and mud in Marikina City is hampering the cleanup operation in the city, she said.

The piles of garbage are not only visible on streets but also in various public schools in the city which served as evacuation centers like the Tumana Elementary School, Industrial Valley, H. Bautista, and Concepcion Elementary School.

H. Bautista Elementary school, one of the evacuation centers, does not look like an evacuation site but rather a garbage dump. Some evacuees do not know how to observe proper hygiene and throw their trash anywhere, observers said.

As this developed, US Marines who were supposed to participate in a joint military exercise in the Philippines have joined local policemen and boy scouts in cleaning up the debris caused by the massive flood generated by tropical storm “Ondoy” last week.

One group of US Marines used two earthmovers to clean up mud and debris.

Filipino Army Capt. Enrico Gil Ileto said the Americans were supposed to participate in a joint amphibious exercise with the Philippine military this month, but their group decided instead to join the cleaning and relief operations.

US military personnel were seen distributing used clothes and assisting volunteer doctors and nurses deployed in the area.

Although some evacuees have returned to their houses, many others remained in the evacuation centers.

The gymnasium was temporarily converted as medical clinic where sick evacuees are being treated by volunteer doctors from the Philippine Marines and the Philippine National Police.

Many evacuees are suffering from colds, coughs and diarrhea.

Evacuees here have been receiving relief goods and medical mission set up by the local government.

The clean-up operation has been ongoing for almost a week.