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8 Excuses Pinoys Use to Not Practice CLAYGO (and Why They’re a Load of Crap)

If you’ve been on Twitter today, you might have noticed CLAYGO (short for clean as you go) trending. Why now, of all the days? This all started because of this one tweet that blew up:

Miki’s tweet sparked conversations on cheating, its correlation with someone’s willingness to CLAYGO, how social scientists should do research to establish whether the correlation exists, etc. Now, we won’t get into all that (though we totally agree that someone should do research on this), but since the internet is already talking about it, we thought this was the perfect opportunity to sermonize talk about CLAYGO and how cleaning up after yourself is still not the norm in the Philippines.

 

“Lilinisan naman ni kuya yan.”

claygo in the philippines
Seen at a mall food court in Makati: people leaving behind trash in spite of CLAYGO reminders.

Yes Brenda, most/all establishments do have someone who’s designated to clean up, but that doesn’t mean that you should expect someone to clean up your messes at all times, especially if the place is clearly self-service. Dial back on the entitlement, it’s not a good look.

 

“It’s just part of Filipino culture.”

Really, now?

Just because something is the norm doesn’t mean that we should just throw our hands in the air and give up the idea of making things better. Culture is changeable. Do we really want to be known as a people who can’t be bothered to clean up after ourselves, who are dependent on cheap labor to do the bare minimum?

 

“It’s kadiriiii~”

You know what’s more kadiri than touching your own trash? This kind of behavior:

Just gross. Don’t be that person.

 

“It’s too much effort.”

Cleaning up after yourselves should literally take a couple of minutes—tops. Don’t out yourself as a lazy bastard.

 

“Wala kasing trash cans.”


The Philippines’ lack of garbage cans is a legitimate concern, but if you can’t find any trash receptacles, why not make your servers’ lives easier by doing a little cleaning up? Place everything in your food tray. Wipe up spills.

 

“Nobody else does it, so why should I?”

Let me be straight with you: leaving a mess just because other people left a mess is selfish and petty. All of us know the frustration of coming into a fast-food resto and seeing no available clean tables. Follow the golden rule and leave tables clean for the next patrons.

 

“Baka magmukha akong nagmamagaling.”

It’s sad that we live in a society where you can get flak for simply being a Decent Human Being, but a little ridicule’s a small price to pay for doing the right thing. Caring for your community isn’t just good for others, but also leaves you feeling better about yourself, trust us.

(And if anyone gives you a hard time for practicing CLAYGO, that’s a huge red flag. Maybe it’s time to cut those toxic people outta your life.)

 

“It won’t make a difference”

The Philippines just needs more people to get the CLAYGO ball rolling—once people see you doing your part, they may be inspired to do the same. And even if they won’t, at least you’ll be doing some good. Ika nga ni Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

 

Do you practice CLAYGO in the Philippines? Why/why not? Sound off in the comments below!

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Though a chronic dabbler in whatever tickles her fancy, Cristina claims she can count her passions on one hand: feminism, literature, the environment, cat videos, and the power of a solid pop song. She lives in Uniqlo lounge pants and refuses to leave the house without a winged eye.

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