RECORD TURNOUT FOR BAGO CITY COASTAL CLEANUP A record 265 volunteers turn out to participate in a major cleanup of the beach area of Barangay Sampinit in Bago City, Negros Occidental. The cleanup is coordinated by the Rotary Club of Bacolod-Marapara (RC Marapara) and the Interact Club of St. Scholastica-Marapara in collaboration with local government officials and local companies. Some 240 bags of garbage have been collected. Bago City has been chosen for the cleanup by 15-year-old Maria Samantha Pico, who hails from the city but now lives in Houston, Texas. Samantha's Interact Club in Houston has planned the cleanup of Galveston Beach in Texas. Although no longer living in Negros, Samantha's heart is still very much in the province in which she has decided to initiate a similar activity in her hometown. Knowing of the long-standing coastal cleanup drive of RC Marapara, she has approached the club, suggesting a joint activity in Bago City. Pico hopes that one day, working with Rotary Clubs and local schools, the entire coastline of Negros can be cleaned up. Shown here are volunteers at the big cleanup with Samantha Pico (fourth from right) holding the RC Marapara bannerette. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
