By Chito Chavez
The Quezon City government has joined the campaign of the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), Philippine Education Theater Association (PETA) and the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) that targets to save the Pasig River through culture and arts.
(PNA)
Students and officials from the city’s 142 barangays participated in NCCA’s “Taga-Alog 2019, Ilog Pasig: Sulong! Lusong!” that promotes Metro Manila’s primary waterway as a space for cultural identity and collective memory and elevating the campaign beyond awareness and capacity building initiatives.
PETA actors and students of the Lucrecia R. Kasilag Senior High School performed plays depicting the rich history of Pasig River and the importance of waterway preservation.
QC Task Force Solid Waste Collection, Cleaning, and Disposal Services Management- Special Cleaning Section chief Manny Rios acknowledged that QC is a Pasig River “waste contributor” as most of the city’s waterways flow towards the river.
“Ang QC ay nasa upstream ng Metro Manila. Marami tayong ilog sa QC at karamihan po ay dumadaloy papunta sa Ilog Pasig. Kung polluted ang Ilog Pasig, kung marumi man o maraming basura, may kontribusyon ang QC (Quezon City is at the upstream of Metro Manila. We lots of rivers in Quezon City and most of them lead to Pasig River. If Pasig River is polluted if it is dirty and heavily silted QC has contributed to this situation),” Rios said.
Rios said the city government is on the right track to support the Pasig River clean-up drive by ensuring the cleanliness of the city’s waterways.
Aside from the performances, Lampara Books also donated children’s books to the Quezon City Public Library.
For Rolynn Elenga, a student of Ernesto Rondon High School, the lecture-performances helped her understand the importance of protecting the environment.
According to Raul Alfonso, Taga-alog project director, Quezon City has been an active LGU partner of the program.
In 2018, the city ranked first among all local government units in Metro Manila in the LGU compliance assessment of the Manila Bay clean-up, rehabilitation, and preservation program with an overall average of 95.53 percent.