Nearly 94,000 join barangay cleanups in September

Nearly 94,000 civil society organization (CSO) participants joined barangay cleanup drives nationwide in September, a 125 percent increase from April, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) reported Thursday.

Data from the DILG's National Barangay Operations Office showed that participation in the Barangay at Kalinisan Day (BarKaDa) initiative rose from 41,506 in April to 93,799 in September 2026, an increase of 52,293 participants.

Ilocos Region recorded the highest participation with 16,294, followed by Central Luzon with 13,231 and Northern Mindanao with 12,132.

The DILG attributed the increase to stronger cooperation between barangay governments and civil society groups in promoting sanitation and environmental protection.

The department said wider community participation has enabled barangays to expand cleanup operations and reach more areas.

Nationwide, the BarKaDa initiative has collected more than 86.8 million kilograms of waste from over 3.27 million cleanup sites across 42,010 barangays, according to the DILG.

To sustain the program, the department directed its regional offices to strengthen the monitoring and validation of cleanup reports, provide technical assistance to local government units (LGUs) and expand community mobilization efforts.

The DILG also reminded local governments to maintain regular cleanup activities, particularly in communities recovering from natural disasters, where proper waste disposal and sanitation are essential to public health and safety.

The initiative forms part of the government's KALINISAN program, which encourages barangay officials, civil society organizations and residents to participate in community-based environmental activities.

The department emphasized that maintaining clean communities requires sustained cooperation between local governments and residents.