Cleanup drive hauls 220 trash bags
Early Saturday morning saw the stretch of Beach Road from the American Memorial Park in Garapan to the Pacific Islands Club in San Antonio invaded by an army of men, women and children clad in white and gray shirts.
Tan Holdings Corporation’s “Na Gasgas Tano’Ta” (Keep Our Islands Clean) activity attracted more than 150 people and collected a total of 220 trash bags which contained empty soda cans, junk food pouches and cigarette butts.
Rubi Fortaleza, activity coordinator, said “THC management and staff even brought their families here to help in the endeavor. THC hopes this clean up activity would become and annual thing.”
However, the cleanup drive was not only made to spruce up Beach Road it was also for a worthy cause.
Ariel Mariano, activity coordinator, also said that THC would be donating a commensurate sum of money for each trash bag collected by its employees. The money, he noted, will be donated to the Department of Public Health’s Children’s Development Assistance Center.
DPH Secretary Kevin Villagomez, who graced the clean up drive, offered his appreciation to THC in behalf of the children, and encouraged similar corporate activities from other firms in the CNMI.
He also said the activity was made more important because of its double purpose — the clean up of the environment and fund raising for disadvantaged children. Mr. Villagomez was accompanied to the Susupe basketball courts, “command center,” of the cleanup drive by his deputy Ned Arriola.
Linda Munar, THC marketing and communications manger, also said the cleanup drive was also meant as a kick-off for THC’s 1st Micronesian Conference, which is slated to start this week.
The regional conference will be participated by THC’s affiliated companies and subsidiaries in the region. The three-day event will begin on Wednesday and will conclude with a golf tournament on Friday.
