CEBU, Philippines - Marketgoers expressed their sentiments over the non-collection of garbage in Tabunok public market in Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City.
People who asked not be named told The FREEMAN that the garbage was seen for many weeks now but it seemed nobody cares to collect it and dispose of it properly.
"The increasing volume of the trash leads to bad odor in the place," they said. The volume of garbage at the Tabunok market increased after the holiday season.
Talisay City Mayor Johnny De los Reyes admitted the scenario. He said only 10 sweepers are assigned in the market and he admitted that this is not sufficient.
He said the ideal number of the sweepers should be around 50 since Tabunok is a major market in the city. This he blamed to the council for slashing down the budget for job order workers.
"Nganong dili man mahugaw nga 10 ra man ka sweeper ang naa diha nga unta 50 man na kabuok. Unya dili man mahimo nga manguha ta og daghang molimpyo kay kinsa man ang mosweldo?" said De los Reyes.
He added that some of the trash had been collected but still the odor remained, which prompted him to coordinate with the Bureau of Fire protection to flush out the odor with water.
"Ug mahimo gani moapil ko og limpyo," the city mayor added.
For his part, Vice Mayor Romeo Villarante said the city mayor should not blame the City Council because they never slashed the budget for the basic services.
"Kini mao'y usa sa mga panghitabo nga nagpakita sa ka wala'y kabangkaagan sa mayor," Villarante said. (FREEMAN)