Tons of trash after Sinulog

CEBU, Philippines - Last Sunday’s Sinulog Grand Parade revelers have generated more tons of garbage compared to previous years’, while the Cebu City’s anti-littering office reported it has also issued more citation tickets to violators.

Cebu City Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team Chief Grace Luardo said they arrested at least 700 people, most of whom were street vendors who did not clean their areas, while others were caught littering and urinating in public places.

She said those they issued with tickets violated City Ordinance 1361 or the “Ordinance Establishing a System of Garbage Collection, Imposing Fees therefor, and Appropriating Funds and for Other Related Purposes.”

Luardo said those they were mostly caught in the Fuente Osmeña, Plaza Sugbo, Plaza Independencia areas, adding that the number would rise since they have yet to include the figures on those arrested in the streets used in the grand parade route.

Of the 700, at least 80 settled their P500 fine yesterday at the CESET office.

Luardo advised those issued with CESET citation tickets to pay the fine to avoid being issued with warrants of arrest later on.

“Mas nindot kun i-settle dayon na nila para wala nay problema. Kun walay ikabayad, puwede ra mag-community service. Mas dali kun i-settle kaysa makasohan nato sila,” she said.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Hall’s Department of Public Services said the volume of garbage generated by those who witnessed the grand parade is several tons higher than the previous years’.

DPS Chief Rolando Ardosa told The FREEMAN yesterday morning that they collected 197 tons, which was 23 tons more than last year’s 174 tons. The figure is also higher than the 187 tons in 2013 and 100 tons in 2012.

City Councilor Nida Cabrera, head of the City Council committee on environment, the rise in the volume of garbage was expected because of the influx of visitors witnessing the spectacle.

She, however, was disappointed that until now the people are still not following the right ways on disposing waste properly.

“Wala man gyud diay gihapon nila matuman. Tungod sa mentality sa tawo ba nga i-throw away lang ang garbage,” she said.

Cabrera said that in the 2011 and 2012 Sinulog, they gave vendors an orientation. She said they also did an information dissemination campaign in the past, which was not done for the 2015 Sinulog.

She admitted that for this year’s Sinulog, they did think of giving an orientation or do an information campaign, confident that the people have already been educated already when it comes to proper throwing of garbage.

“Nikompiyansa lang sad mi nga nakahibawo na ang mga tawo. Nag-expect mi nga nag-practice sila (on the proper way in throwing garbage). Nakalimot sila,” she said.

 “Grabe ka daghan karon, apil ang basura mura’g giduble man,” also said Luardo.

At least 400 CESET staff and Barangay Environmental Office personnel were deployed during the Sinulog Grand Parade.

Ardosa likewise made the same lament, saying people should have the discipline when it comes to throwing of garbage.

“Walay kontrol ang mga tawo (in throwing their garbage indiscriminately). Disiplina gyud,” he said.

He urged Sinulog spectators to keep their garbage in their bags until such time that they could find trash cans or when they are home already.

Cabrera also encourage Sinulog revelers to recycle and segregate garbage properly.

“While we don’t diminish the importance of the religious and cultural activities during the Sinulog celebration, every one of us should be equally mindful of the enormous piles of garbage likely to be generated,” she said.

She assured that for next year, they would resume the information dissemination campaign and the orientation for vendors.

She reminded that the city should join in the national government’s “zero waste” campain after President Benigno Aquino III declared January as “Zero Waste Month” through the Proclamation No. 760.

Cabrera said the law establishes ethical, economical and efficient standards to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices towards waste management.

Paragraph 1 of Section 48 of Republic Act 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000) prohibits the “ littering, throwing, dumping of waste in public places, such as roads, sidewalks, canals, esteros or parks, and establishment, or causing or permitting the same.”

Section 49, on the other hand, states that “any person who violates Section 48 paragraph one shall, upon conviction, be punished with a fine of not less than P300.00 but not more than P1,000.00 or render community service for not less than one day to not more than 15 days to an LGU (Local Government Unit) where such prohibited acts are committed, or both.”

Also yesterday, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama commended CESET; BEOs; Cebu City’s Quick Response Team; the Sinulog Foundation Inc.; Cebu City Police Office; Cebu City Traffic Operations Management; Department of Public Service; City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council; and the Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification and Enhancement, among others, for contributing to the success of the Sinulog celebration.—/RHM  (FREEMAN)