Iloilo City ready for next week's clean and green evaluation

Iloilo City is now ready for evaluation by the regional clean and green assessment team next week, Task Force Clean and Green chair Marilen Locsin announced with confidence yesterday.

Locsin issued the statement following a pre-evaluation conducted on possible sites in the city likely to be visited by the regional evaluating team.

Locsin said the task force -- primarily in-charge of cleaning and greening the city -- is right on course in maintaining the cleanliness and orderliness of the  areas expected to be rated by the inspectors. These are the City Hall building, the different city public markets and government schools, the Calajunan dumpsite, the city's slaughterhouse and nurseries.

She said the evaluation will be done through ocular inspections, spot interviews and review of pertinent documents.

The criteria for judging include the physical conditions of the built-up areas which include absence of eyesores, well maintained facilities, presence of health and environmental-friendly practices, and well maintained green areas; the support systems provided by the city government on programs and projects on cleanliness, greening, solid waste management, health and sanitation program and the other related efforts on functional structure, equipment and manpower, budgetary requirement and monitoring and enforcement mechanism; and community mobilization and civil society’s participation in environmental protection and management.

The 2005 Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran Clean and Green contest is an annual event particularly aimed at improving the nation’s environment. The activity will enable local government units and their respective constituencies to maintain and sustain the cleanliness of their surroundings.

In an earlier statement, Mayor Jerry P. Treñas stressed that maintaining cleanliness and greening the metropolis should not only be practiced because of the competition. Cleaning and greening should be a regular activity for the good of the city and its residents, he said. (Adora Bandorio/PIO)