What was supposed to be a cordial advocacy of Ecoteneo to further educate Ateneans on their responsibility in taking care of the environment has earned them criticisms from the Ateneo community instead.

Launched by the student councils and the Ecoteneo Student Unit, the “Let’s Go, CLAYGO” (clean as you go) challenge was criticized for their usage of police tapes which are considered by several Ateneans as “single-use” plastics.

The tapes were used for their “lock-down” of common areas left with litters, preventing students to enter and use it for three hours.

“Para sa ako kay mura rapud og gina-violate sa Ecoteneo ang ilang policy,” Business and Management student Rhean Keith Laquihon expressed.

“What if daghan ang naglitter tapos daghan sad ilang magamit na police tapes diba tapos malabay lang man sad na,” Laquihon said.

Paula Lurica from the School of Nursing also shared the same sentiment.

“I think it is very ironic for Ecoteneo to implement the ‘let’s go claygo’ challenge since they are using police tapes. It somewhat contradicts to their advocacy,” she said.

Chemical Engineering student, Anna Mae Escobar, said that “the organization should have thought of an alternative marking so as to avoid conflicts with their cause.”

Francesca Rhian De Rosas, a Marketing student, also thumbed down the challenge saying that “the fact that they used police line which is made from plastic material contradicts their advocacy.”

AB Political Science student, Kyla Faith Domingo, believes that the ban on single-use plastics should start from the Ecoteneo.

“Dapat sa ila mag-start ang no single use of plastic. Sila pud dapat, dili na sila mag-use ug police tapes kay plastic mana and naa may other options aside anang police tapes bisan gina-ingon nila na ginabalik-balik lang nila ang paggamit sa tapes, plastic man gihapun na,” Domingo said.

Yellow tapes as message

Christian Caile Dayrit, the student unit director of Ecoteneo stressed in an interview that the yellow tapes aim to deliver a message that “littering is a crime.”

“Yellow tape one is used to deliver the message that “littering is a crime”. It will not [be a] waste especially if everyone gets the message that to care for our common home is to do CLAYGO at all times,” he said.

According to him, the challenge serves as the introduction for the new environmental policies of the university.

“Kani siya ang starting point gud for the new policy. Para ma-ready ang students. Mura siya’g small introduction na after ani, naay ing-ani [new policies] na mahitabo,” he said.

Dayrit also mentioned how the organization became more “hands-on” regarding the implementation of the ClayGo as compared to previous years.

“Last time, igo lang mi maglimpyo gyud, kami ang naga-maintain sa [cleanliness] ato na time. Pero karon, hands on gyud mi with the cleaning and all, so bale kato amoang result na mag yellow tape,” Dayrit said.

The student unit director shared that the idea of using yellow tapes for the lock-down were initially from the Ecoteneo office.

“Kami, gina-represent namo ang ‘Lets Go CLAYGO’ pareha last time, pero sila (Ecoteneo Office) ang naghatag ug suggestions kung unsaon siya pag properly implement ba so more on disciplinary action gyud siya sa mga dili naga-Claygo na students,” he stressed.

“Single use siya, yes, pero pwede man gud siya ma-reuse, actually pag makita ninyo ang mga security personnel naa man pud sila’y mga yellow tapes which they used for how many years na, gi-stock lang nila tapos gamitun nila usab like sa mga constructions. Same with us we will reuse this until such time na dili na siya kailangan,” Dayrit added.

He also assured the Ateneo community that the tapes they used “will be given to the partners of Ecoteneo Office outside school” and that it “will be recycled into something else, like chairs.”

Advocacy defenders

“Dili siya big deal because if we look at the bigger picture, Ecoteneo’s actions are commendable since they promote proper waste management,” Prince Robin Antigo of Chemical Engineering said.

“The problem here is that some people look for loopholes that are against them [Ecoteneo], maybe because ganyan talaga ang mga Pinoy may crab mentality,” he added.

Grade 12 student, Dochimarryl Sedulan, also commended the organization for their gimmick.

“Naa sila’y pakulo, tapos feel nako at some point kay mahadlok ang uban students na dili mag ClayGo kay basi’g ma-lock [facilities] na pud ba then inconvenient man gud kayo kapag naa’y lockdown so as much as possible magtuon ug claygo ang mga students,” Sedulan stressed.

Neizha Gonzales of Chemical Engineering believes that the Ecoteneo have a way of disposing the plastic in an eco-friendly manner.

“I am pretty sure that [Ecoteneo] will dispose of the tapes in an eco-friendly way. Whoever bashed the idea was probably nit-picking,” she said.

“Let’s face it. We cannot completely eradicate the use of single-use plastics especially if need kayo siya sa industry such as adhesive tapes. Siguro may kaunting point yung mga nagabash but if I might say so, kung naa kay ibash dapat naa pud ka ipropose na another way to avoid the problem altogether,” Gonzales added.

Message to the Ateneo Community

“Isipin niyo muna, bago kayo magsalita,” Dayrit expressed to the students who bashed the implementation of the “Let’s Go CLAYGO” challenge.

Dayrit shared the efforts of the organization in reaching out to the department representatives, the General Assembly of Class Presidents (GACP) and the Campus Clubs Organization (CCO) to inform their constituents about the event.

“We did everything we can to inform everyone about this challenge. Dati pato siya dili siya abrupt na challenge. With the reps, GACP, and CCO, giingnan nako sila [to announce] sa inyohang mga constituents para makabalo tanang students and it turned out na wala nakaabot sa uban,” Dayrit said.

With all the criticisms thrown at them, Dayrit said that they accepted it all, but he also reminded the Ateneo community to “know everything first before they criticize.”