Pope visit: MMDA hauls 23 truckloads of trash

MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) collected 23 truckloads of trash in the metropolis following the five-day visit of Pope Francis.

Francis Martinez, MMDA  Metroparkway Clearing Group head, said 138 tons of garbage were collected from the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park where millions of Filipinos attended the mass last Sunday.

Most of the trash collected were discarded raincoats, Styrofoam food containers, barbecue sticks, fruit peelings, cardboard, leftover food, plastic bags, candy wrappers and water plastic bottles, Martinez said.

He said the garbage was brought to the dump at Pier 18 in Port Area.

The MMDA deployed 600 street cleaners in the metropolis for the papal visit.

MMDA personnel cleared the streets immediately after the papal convoy passed, Martinez said.

He said they used the same strategy employed during the Black Nazarene procession on Jan 9.

“We begin clearing the streets as soon as the events are finished,” he said.

For its part, the Ecowaste Coalition lamented the low regard for the environment of the mass participants.

“The park was littered with trash that left eco-volunteers and government workers busy cleaning up the mess,” EcoWaste coordinator Aileen Lucero said.

“We found some garbage piles with discarded tarpaulin reminders with a quote from Pope Francis that, says, ‘Let us be protectors of God’s creation and of one another,’” she said.

EcoWaste volunteers said they saw heaps of garbage all over Rizal Park and its environs including food packaging left in plant boxes, bottles and liturgical booklets, tens of thousands of which were left undistributed.

Lucero said field reports noted rampant littering along the papal motorcade routes since the arrival of Pope Francis last
Thursday.

During his encounter with the youth at the University of Santo Tomas, the pontiff called on Filipinos “to make a contribution in showing concern for the environment.”

The group lauded sanitation workers and parish volunteers for their help in cleaning Rizal Park after Sunday’s mass. – With Rhodina Villanueva, Jona Espejo