City to barangays: Do your part

CEBU, Philippines —  People throw their garbage into rivers because of poor or non-existent collection, that is why Cebu City Task Force Gubat sa Baha Chairman Roy Cimatu, a former environment secretary of the country, yesterday asked barangay captains to do their part.

"The only thing you see in the river, is the garbage every time, you clean it for one week, after week andyan na naman, so doon lang nila tinatapon yung garbage sa river," he said, following an inspection of Mahiga Creek yesterday morning.

"Kailangang mag react ang ating barangay captains dito. Unfortunately, may problema sa garbage, ang kaso may selection yata ang barangay captains. This is really a wakeup call for the barangay captains," Cimatu said.

Accompanied by Mayor Michael Rama and other City Hall officials, Cimatu also spoke with residents, from whom he learned that they throw their garbage into the river because garbage collectors do not reach in their area.

And that task, he said, is primarily the responsibility of the respective barangays.

He said that after one year of efforts against the garbage problem in the city, it still hasn't been solved yet, that is why they would be concentrating on it.

"The bigger problem aside from the flooding…we have to solve the garbage problem, and we are committed to do that," said Cimatu.

Rama had always said the city's flooding and garbage problems is the responsibility of all and that addressing them could not be done by the city government alone.

Aside from garbage in the river, Cimatu told a press conference yesterday that water quality poses another problem for Mahiga Creek.

He said that during the inspection, he witnessed sewage coming out from the drainage of houses and other structures going straight to the creek, causing a foul smell of the water.

He said that for houses and structures to throw their wastewater into the river, they are supposed to secure permits from City Hall.

He again mentioned the structures built by the banks of the creek that violate the three-meter easement requirement for urban waterways.

The easement is the buffer zone within which no structures should be allowed.

"May nakita na mga buildings, meron.  Di ko lang masabi kung anong mga buildings na yun. Ipapa-validate ko muna sa DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources), pupuntahan nila ito, nagpapatayo ng structure doon sa river," Cimatu said.

He also noted the same problem in Sindulan, Barangay Mabolo, where houses are already built on top of the river.

As the DENR is now asked to inspect these structures, it is requested to prepare notices of violation that would be forwarded to the City Legal Office.

The notices, Cimatu said, would serve as basis for the filing of complaints against the "illegal structures."

"They have to do it. Otherwise, it is very unsafe because you are not supposed to build a structure around the river. Bawal po yan," he said.

Mahiga and Butuanon River are the two waterways that border the cities of Mandaue and Cebu, which recently joined hands to address flooding together.

The agreement, signed last Sept. 20, was a commitment for both cities to actively support the rehabilitation of Butuanon River and Mahiga Creek. -/RHM (CEBU NEWS)