Cebu intensifies creek clean-up

The cities of Cebu and Mandaue want to give life back to the Mahiga Creek.

Nearly 80 tons of garbage were fished out of the three-kilometer Mahiga Creek, which bridges the boundaries of the cities of Cebu and Mandaue.

Mayors Jonas Cortes of Mandaue and Edgardo Labella of Cebu led thousands of city hall officers and employees in the clean up on Saturday morning.

Labella and Cortes said the activity will be a regular joint clean-up effort as the creek is known for the volumes of trash, largely due to informal settlers and nearby factories dumping their waste into the creek.

The Department of Public Works and Highways will join the city governments’ succeeding clean-up activities. Regular dredging operations will also be conducted.

Hundreds of families living near the creek have already been relocated but some shanties remained.

Mahiga Creek covers Barangays Subangdaku in Mandaue and Mabolo in Cebu City.