4 Bataan LGUs win in ‘Manila Bay rehab’ program
FOUR Bataan local government units won in the prestigious ‘2020 Manila Bayani Awards’ for their laudable roles in cleaning the surroundings and nearby bodies of the once polluted Manila Bay.
The awardees in the recently concluded ceremonies were Samal under the leadership of Mayor Aida de Guia; Dinalupihan under Mayor Gila Garcia, Balanga City under Mayor Francis Garcia and Orani which the DILG dubbed as high compliant local government units of Bataan.
“Malaking karangalan ito, and this will further motivate us to buckle down to work to clean our environment,” said Macalinao upon recieving the prestigious award.
Macalinao said that with the town’s meager resources, she topped other private company officials like Thailand’s Udomsak Aksornphakdee, president of CPF, NGO’s, among others in cleaning Samal’s coastal area.
Raul H. Mamac, who was himself leading his staff to launch a massive costal clean up, said Bataan has the longest coastal area in Central Luzon being in the mouth of the sprawling Manila Bay.
Other winners were Baliwag, Plaridel, City of San Jose Del Monte and Santa Maria for Bulacan; Palayan City for Nueva Ecija, and the City of San Fernando and Mabalacat City for Pampanga.
DILG Regional Director Julie Daquioag for Central Luzon, however, said that although the ceremony has been conducted for years, it is still lacking in terms of the institutionalization of the program.
“It is actually not needed that we will have an assessment, and awarding just to wake up people to clean the Manila Bay. When people are awake and they understand the program, our communities will be awake also. When the communities are awake, the whole Central Luzon and the whole nation will be awake, too,” said Daquioag.
The DILG director also pressed that communities should innovate and initiate further in maintaining and preserving the bay as the fact that it helps in everyday means of livelihood is enough reason why this natural resource that surrounds Region 3 should be protected.
“What’s so unique for the 2020 Manila Bayani Awards and Incentives is that we were able to implement the different provisions and guidelines for the clean-up, rehabilitation, and preservation of the Manila Bay despite the pandemic that has happened and is still happening,” said the DILG official.
Recognized as the Provincial Top Performers Municipal Category are Dinalupihan in Bataan, Baliwag in Bulacan, Candaba in Pampanga, Santa Rosa in Nueva Ecija, and Bamban in Tarlac; while Provincial Top Performers in City Category are Balanga City in Bataan, City of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan, City of San Fernando in Pampanga, Palayan City in Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac City.
Balanga, Bataan was also awarded as the Regional Top Performer City Category with City of San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan and City of San Fernando in Pampanga winning second and third places, respectively.
The DILG said the ceremony is in line with the Manila Bay Clean Up Program which aims to restore the water quality of the bay in accordance with the Supreme Court mandamus in 2016.
