CEBU, Philippines - Talisay City's Solid Waste Management Office said it is prioritizing garbage collection along the highways as only four of city's ten garbage trucks are operational.
Edwin Nierves, head of the office, said of the ten garbage trucks, six have broken down in the past months.
Nierves said that they are processing the documents in order to purchase the spare parts needed for these trucks.
According to Nierves, each of the four trucks will do two shifts in the morning and afternoon, prioritizing piles of garbage along the National Highway.
Earlier this week, garbage trucks from Barangays Maghaway and Bulacao were able to help the city collect waste.
Nierves said that he is also coordinating with each barangay and reminding them that they are the ones responsible for collecting garbage in their areas.
According to their assessment, Barangay Tabunok has the most amount of garbage collected per day.
He said that this is because Talisay's public market, which operates day and night, is located in this barangay.
Mayor Eduardo Gullas said that he considered the garbage problem as second to the traffic situation, adding that the city needs to purchase at least two garbage trucks as soon as possible this year.
He said he had allocated an amount for the purchase of the two trucks in the city's P888 million budget for 2017 but was unable to disclose the exact appropriation. (FREEMAN)