Kalinga, Bulacan political leaders appeal to save rivers

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Provincial leaders of Kalinga and Bulacan aired appeals last week to the public and officials to help save deteriorating state of rivers in their provinces.

In Kalinga, former Rep. Laurence Wacnang led urgent calls for rehabilitation of the Chico River which is the main source of irrigation water and livelihood for thousands of residents in the province and region.

Wacnang urged officials and the public to protect it from indiscriminate quarrying to prevent the drastic change in the river’s course.

He also urged the populace to expand the remaining watershed of the river by planting trees.

Wacnang said that Tabukenos should follow the example of the Kalinga Anti-Pollution Action Group, a local environmentalist group, which compelled and prevented residents of Bontoc, Mt. Province from dumping trash of waste into the Chico River by filing a case against their LGU.

He suggested that the LGU look into the possibility of meeting with upper Kalinga towns to come up with programs for the protection of the Chico River.

It has been noted that the water of the Chico River which provides the irrigation supply of the farmlands of the city has been alarmingly receding in recent years with the blame being attributed to the unabated destruction of the watershed upstream starting from Mt. Data in Bauko, Mt. Province where the headwaters of the river is located.

In his speech during the Barangay Day on June 26, Gov. JocelBaac urged the public to attend the environmental summit to be conducted by the provincial government on June 29 and 30 in line with the observance of the Environmental Month.

Among the topics to be taken during the summit are the protection of the watershed of the Chico River and quarrying along the river.

Mayor Ferdinand Tubban likewise informed the public that in cooperation with various government agencies, the Tabuk LGU is presently embarking on the Chico River Flood Control Project which seeks to clear a single waterway for the Chico River from barangay Calanan to barangay Cabaruan to stop the creation of more water paths and destructive flooding.

The LGU decided that the project is the measure that would once and for all stop the destruction being wrought by the river on farmlands and residential areas along its path.

In Bulacan, provincial officials headed by Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado and Vice Gov. Daniel Fernando on Monday also stressed the importance of discipline to save dirty and dead rivers like the Marilao, Meycauayan and Obando River System (MMORS).

Alvarado and Fernando said that if the people and their leaders will work hand and hand to properly dispose their garbage and have a collective efforts in implementing a comprehensive program to clean not only the MMORS but even small creeks and waterways, all the pollutants and dirty garbage will vanish and they will again be clean and at the same time give means of livelihood to the people through recycling.

Sen. Cynthia A. Villar echoed the optimism of Alvarado and Fernando that dirty rivers can still be resurrected as she shared the experience of the people of Las Pinas, Rizal, her hometown.

Vilar said that she and Gov. Alvarado have worked together in the passing of a law on proper waste management when they were still congressmen.

She also shared the sustainable programs in her hometown of Las Pinas. She said they were able to shoot two birds with one stone in addressing the pollution problems of Las Piñas.