20 face charges for improper waste disposal

City Hall officials have filed criminal charges against 20 persons caught in the act of indiscriminately throwing garbage and other trash in public places.

The cases were raffled to different branches of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities-Cebu City. It is expected that the presiding judges will issue orders this week for the respondents to answer the charges filed against them.

The Cebu City Environment Sanitation and Enforcement Team had already filed over 4,000 cases of violation of City Ordinance 1361, or Anti-Littering Act, since the city launched its cleanliness drive in July 1, 2005.

Violations of C.O. 1361 carries a penalty of P500 for those apprehended who choose to settle amicably by paying fines directly at the City Treasurer’s Office.

Should violators opt to bring up the case to the court, they may face higher fines of up to P2,500 and a possible one-year imprisonment.

Ceset volunteers are directly being supervised by councilor Nestor Archival, chairman of the Cebu City Council committee on environment.

Those who were apprehended were caught throwing waste, like cigarette butts, on the street.

Meanwhile, lawyer Antonio Oposa, who is known for his active campaign in preserving the environment, has encouraged the mayors particularly in Cebu City to strictly implement the policy on no-collection for unsegregated garbage.

Oposa, founder of the Law of Nature Foundation, said his group will soon coordinate with government agencies to conduct an environmental compliance audit on towns, cities and provinces regarding the implementation of R.A. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

Many of the barangay officials in Cebu City are reportedly not complying with the provisions under Section 21 of R.A. 9003 which requires the mandatory segregation of biodegradable waste from non-biodegradable garbage before facilitating collection. — Rene U. Borromeo/MEEV