TACLOBAN CITY – Cleaning the bodies of water located within the city should be supported by all.
Thus said Ma. Lumen Tabao, information officer of the Tacloban city government, reacting to posts in the social media referring efforts to clean the Panalaron Bay, in particular.
Tabao said that members of the Fishery Law Enforcement Team (FLET) conduct regular cleanup of the said bay which is located within the city’s main public market.
But the city information officer said that most of the wastes found at the Panalaron Bay were not from the market but those coming from villages along the Mangonbangon Creek and the communities along the bay.
“We cannot control the flow of current especially during high tide. If we really want the bay to be clean, let’s make this as a concerted effort and not only the City Hall that will work because the government is not only the City Hall of Tacloban,” Tabao said.
Tabao added that a single cleanup drive is not enough to clean the Panalaron Bay from all wastes, adding that it would take everyone to be responsible to properly dispose their trash to ensure that this will not end up at sea.
She added that personnel of FLET and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office have agreed to clean the bay.
“Villages along the waterways and coastline should also help in cleaning the bay by starting within their communities, avoid throwing their trash at Mangonbangon Creek and at the bay so that they will not pollute the sea,” Tabao added.
Tabao, meantime, expressed her support to the An Waray party-list founder Florencio “Bem” Noel who called for volunteers to help them in their upcoming cleanup drive at the Panalaron Bay on February 3.
Noel, in his Facebook account, said that An Waray has accepted the challenge set by President Rodrigo Duterte to take care and protect the environment and clean up the waterways.
His post earned support from the city residents who pledged to support the cleanup drive.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- While this city’s major bodies of water are often seen to be dirty with all sorts of wastes could be seen floating, the Fishery Law Enforcement Team (FLET) insists that they are doing their job in cleaning them up.
In fact, their main concern now involves the cleaning up of the Panalaron Bay, said Carlos Dave Castello, FLET coordinator.
Earlier, photos of Panalaron Bay, one of the city’s major bays, full with garbage circulated in the social media with netizens calling the attention of the city government to conduct its own clean up.
Cleaning up or rehabilitating the country’s major bodies of water has become a sort of frenzy after President Rodrigo Duterte issued an order to collect garbage at the Manila Bay and restore its old glory.
Manila Bay is earlier known to have one of the best spots in the world for watching sunset.
Castello said that their office, together with the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) and the Tacloban Youth Office, and even some volunteers are taking turns in cleaning up the city’s bodies of water, to include Panalaron Bay, long before Mr. Duterte directed for cleanup of bays and creeks.
The city’s main public market, seaport, and several business establishments and houses are located along the coast of Panalaron Bay.
Castello said that their cleanup was previously done thrice a week, depending on the availability of the speed boats which are also being used on Bantay Dagat operations.
The cleanup covers all the waterways of Tacloban, he added.
Castello said that the program’s purpose is to spread environmental awareness and protection.
Today (February 2), youth volunteers will disseminate flyers regarding public awareness on why it is not appropriate to throw wastes in the sea, and penalties sanctioned on individuals who practice disobedience of the law as a means of helping the environment to become cleaner and healthier in the years to come, the FLET official said. (KIARA ARABELLA ALER, THEA MENDOZA, AMIRA MAE MIRALLES, STUDENT INTERNS, ST. THERESE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION OF TACLOBAN, INC.)

PALO, Leyte – A national park named after American legendary general located in this town will undergo a massive facelift in time for the 75th Leyte Gulf Landings anniversary this year.
Remedios ‘Matin’ Petilla, mayor of this town, said that at least P50 million has been allocated by the national government to rehabilitate the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park which sustained damage when Palo was hit by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in 2013.
Petilla, who is only to serve the town as mayor until June 30 of this year, said that the improvement of the park named after General Douglas MacArthur will include landscaping, construction of a view deck, amphitheater and a visitor center located in front of the park, and improvement of lights and sound system.
The last time the facility underwent improvement was in 1994 in time for the 50th Leyte Gulf Landings commemoration, the town mayor added.
“We are excited but at the same time worried that the project will not be finished before October, but we are determine to finish the improvement before we celebrate another milestone year of Leyte Landing Commemoration,” Petilla said.
The park’s Eternal Flame, which was constructed during the 50th year commemoration in 1994, will be refurbished.
The Eternal Flame features dedications carved in stone tablet of countries involved at the Battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II lead by the United States against the Japanese Forces.
The McArthur Landing Memorial National Park was damaged when the town was hit Yolanda in November 8, 2013.
For one, the statue of General Carlos P. Romulo was toppled due to the storm surge spawned by Yolanda.
Additional improvement of the park includes the construction of a two-storey building for coconut juice vendors located few meters away from the McArthur Park.
Pathways will be constructed along the tree park for people to enjoy walking under its shades.
A small bridge will be put up to have guests of the Leyte Oriental Hotel easy access to the park.
The MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park is situated in a 6.78 hectares in Barangay Candahug that features seven double-life-size bronze statues standing in a man-made pool depicting the arrival of McArthur in Leyte province, making good of his ‘I shall return’ promise.
The park was opened in 1981 coinciding the 37th Leyte Gulf Landings anniversary created by famous sculptor Anastacio Tanchauco Caedo, whose other works includes the Benigno Aquino Monument and the Bonifacio Monument in Pugad Lawin, Balintawak.
The MacArthur Leyte Landing Memorial National Park was declared as a national park on July 12, 1977 through Letter of Instructions No. 572 signed by President Ferdinand Marcos.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)