SAN JOSE, Antique – Antique province has drawn up plans to join in the global initiative, International Coastal Cleanup, which will include cleaning up of shorelines in some towns here.

Percival C. Macahilig, Environment and Natural Resources Officer (ENRO) Antique, said the clean-up will be conducted on September 18 with two major activities namely, the cleaning of shorelines in Anini-y town and Nogas Island and underwater clean-up of coral reefs in Nogas Island.

For the coastal clean up, there will be four collection areas in Anini-y, namely Barangay Talisayan, Butu-an, Nato and Poblacion where participants from various agencies, non-government organizations and civic spirited groups will join barangay officials and residents in picking up debris along the barangays’ shoreline.

For the underwater clean up, volunteer divers from different groups will spearhead the gathering of crown of thorns at the coral reefs of Nogas Island, said Macahilig. Crown of thorns is a member of the starfish family preying on coral polyps. (Mars W. Mosqueda, Jr.)

Mandaue wants mandatory composting

MANDAUE CITY, (PNA) – highly-urbanized Mandaue City may soon require commercial, institutional and industrial establishments to maintain their own compost pit, with penalties for those who don’t. ”Solid waste management is not the sole responsibility of the local government but rather a shared obligation with the community,” said Councilor Demetrio Cortes in a proposed ordinance.

The proposal also urges establishments to avail services of City Hall-accredited haulers or operators in the collection and disposal of their wastes. Informants will get half of the penalty paid by violators, to encourage community participation, while the remaining half will go to the Barangay Solid Waste Management funds.

The proposed ordinance defines a compost pit as a huge container where biodegradable wastes are processed “through biological degradation, without causing public nuisance,” and then transformed into soil. The proposal is under study by the Committee on Laws chaired by Councilor Nenita Layese.

Envoy to check cebu crash probe

BALAMBAN, Cebu – A high ranking official from the embassy of Iran is set to arrive in Cebu this week to check the results of the probe on the bush crash that killed 20 Iranian nationals in this town in June this year.

Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) Director Erson Digal said one purpose of the Iranian official’s visit is to follow up on the compensation claim for accident victims. But Digal clarified that the investigation team has not received any claim for compensation from the representatives of the victims.

He said compensation will only be released after the Islamic Republic of Iran files its claims to the CPPO. Marjorie Salvador, Regional Coordinator of Unitrans, the operator of the bus that figured in the accident, said the company has already allocated P60,000 for each of the fatalities and P12,500 for those who survived the tragedy.

Earlier, the CPPO has formed a task force to conduct the probe even as initial investigation revealed that the bus suffered brake malfunctions while maneuvering a curvy slope. (Mars W. Mosqueda, Jr.)