President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said he would closely monitor the cleanup drive in all villages in the country in an effort to keep the environment clean.

Marcos issued the statement, as he sought to sustain the positive momentum of the “Kalinisan sa Bagong Pilipinas” Program which aims to encourage local government units (LGUs) to invest in programs, projects and activities on solid waste management and ecological practices.

“Ano ba ang bago rito? Ano ang bago na itinatatag natin sa Bagong Pilipinas? Ang kaayusan at kalinisan sa bawat barangay ay gagawin nating tuloy-tuloy; buwan-buwan na susukatin ang performance ng Barangay Council, at kikilalanin natin at pararangalan natin ang mga outstanding na performance (What’s new here? What is new that we are establishing in New Philippines? We will ensure the continuity of order and cleanliness in every village),” he said.

“Higit sa lahat, ang kaayusan at kalinisan sa bawat barangay ay tutukan ng inyong Pangulo. Iyan ang isang bago sa Bagong Pilipinas (Above all, order and cleanliness in every barangay will be the focus of your President. That’s something new in the New Philippines),” Marcos added.

Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. on Tuesday reported that over 5.1 million kilograms of trash have been collected since the nationwide cleanup program was launched on Jan. 6.

Based on Abalos’ national status report, about 5,143,775 kilograms of trash were collected by about 1,234,844 participating individuals and 245,393 local officials.

Abalos said there will be a quarterly recognition of LGUs that will efficiently implement the Kalinisan sa Bagong Pilipinas Program.

Marcos said the performance of every village will be measured monthly, adding that the government is committing to giving recognition to their outstanding performance in implementing the cleanup drive.

Following the initial success of the program, Marcos emphasized the importance “bayanihan” (teamwork), particularly in cleaning up roads, canals, markets and schools towards greener, healthier and safer communities across the country.

Around 2,646,948 kilograms of trash have been collected by some 9,189 villages that participated in the launching of the nationwide cleanup campaign on Saturday, according to the national status report of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) released on Sunday.

The DILG report found that 580,000 individuals participated in the cleanup drive, along with the 109,939 local officials.

At least 103,249 of the 580,000 participating individuals came from Cagayan Valley; 103,044 from Central Luzon; 117,161 from Calabarzon; 59,630 from Mimaropa; 29,814 from Central Visayas; 27,287 from Zamboanga Peninsula; 63,996 from Northern Mindanao; and 8,060 from Soccsksargen.

At least 39,109 individuals from Metro Manila and 28,650 from Cordillera Administrative Region also participated in the cleanup drive. (PNA)