Preparations are underway for the Earth Day celebration this coming April 22 with the theme “Lupa, Tubig, Buhayin; Hangin, Linisin; Batas Tuparin.” Catbalogan City will be the center of the regional observance of this event for this year. This was made possible through coordination between the city government and the Environment Management Board – Regional Office 8 (EMB – RO8) and will have the theme.

The day’s activities will start at 6:00 am with “Bawas Plastik, Bawas Basura.” Here, organizers consisting of EMB and LGU representatives will be giving away native baskets and bayong to market consumers as a way of urging them to no longer use plastic to hold their purchases. The organizers will also be distributing informative flyers to stall owners. These flyers contain tips on how they can help minimize the use of plastic.

This activity was meant to pave the way for the eventual phase out of plastic in the city.
To follow shortly after is the foot parade dubbed as “Pitad Para Han Kalibungan,” which is supposed to symbolize unity among various sectors. All participants will be assembling at the City Hall Lobby and will start with the parade at 7:00 in the morning.

The parade will also serve as the venue for the presentation of the slogans that were created by the different barangays. The slogans shall serve as the barangays’ entries into the slogan-making contest where three winners will be chosen as 1st (1,500 pesos), 2nd (1,000 pesos) and 3rd (500 pesos) placers respectively. The winners will be announced during the short program that will take place at the Centro Mall Lobby right after the parade. A limited number of souvenir t-shirts will also be raffled out to the public as a promotional activity during this time.

After this, LGU officials and guests from the EMB will lead in the ribbon cutting to signal the opening of of the exhibit showcasing various products made of recycled or reused materials. The afternoon portion will be reserved for video presentations on different best practices in Solid Waste Management. Both of these will be held at the public market.

This event comes at a time when the city government is also taking initial steps towards formulating its own Solid Waste Management Plan as a solution to their garbage problems. Environmental concerns have become one of the city’s top priorities after it was given a strike two warning by the EMB due to the 8-year delay in the closing of its dumpsite.

Republic Act 9003 or“The Philippine Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Act of 2000” had required for all dumpsites to be closed six years after the law’s passage to be replaced with sanitary landfills or Categorized Disposal Facilities. In response to this, the LGU is currently in the process of finalizing its 10-year Solid Waste Management Plan and Dumpsite Closure Plan.