Environmental law: Drive strengthened; 369 charged

CEBU, Philippines - More than 5,000 individuals were issued citation tickets by the Cebu City Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team (CESET) for violation of environmental laws from January to September. Of the said number, 369 were charged.

Grace Luardo, CESET head, said they expect the number of apprehended persons to pile up now that they have strengthened the campaign against violators.

She said the 356 barangay environmental officers (BEO), who are deputized to make the apprehension and issuance of tickets, have a standing order to implement City Ordinance 1361 and Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act at all times.

Luardo said they have made arrests in residential areas for failure to segregate the garbage, and in the streets for improper waste disposal. She said even indiscriminate throwing of cigarette butts can earn a trip to the jail.

From January to September this year, 369 cases were filed in court. Luardo said the biggest chunk of this number is from September with 290 cases. She said it could be attributed to the fact that the BEOs and officers in their department are working to get laws “strictly implemented.”

“Ang uban dili motuo nga seryoso ta. (Others do not believe that we are serious.) This is why we file the case seven days after the citation ticket has been issued. If they don’t show up at our office to pay the corresponding compromise fee, then we’ll file the case. Ang uban moingun na gud, abi nila dili mi seryuso, (Some even admit they thought we were not serious.)” Luardo said.

From January to September, 536 persons have agreed to pay the compromise penalty of P500 each, while 254 had undergone community service. For those who refuse to agree at a compromise but later on decide to settle to a payment but the case has already been filed, Luardo said they pay double.

City Ordinance 1361 prohibits the throwing of garbage in public places, while RA 9003 dictates that all garbage must be segregated first at the household level before readying them for pickup by government dump trucks. —/MIT (FREEMAN)