DELAYS SEEN IN HAULING OF GARBAGE
New facility ‘to ease city traffic woes'
A government-owned multi-level parking building is now operational in Mandaue City to cater to vehicle owners who have transactions in City Hall.
The building across the Mandaue City Hall is said to be the first multi-level parking area owned by a local government unit (LGU) in Cebu.
Lawyer Mae Elaine Bathan, chief-of-staff of the mayor, said the City tries to maximize the use of limited space in the city.
“Mandaue is one of the few LGUs that has created the multi-level parking lot because with the limited land available, we would want to maximize and put to good use the areas in the City, especially the one surrounding the City Hall,” Bathan said.
Last year, the City allocated P50 million for the improvement of the sidewalk and park, and the construction of a multi-level parking area within the city core.
The building, which stands on a lot where the city’s tennis court used to be, was built by Duros Construction.
With the numerous clients transacting in City Hall and the volume of vehicles around it, Bathan said heavy traffic due to lack of parking spaces is inevitable.
The City Government has yet to inaugurate the facility as officials are still drafting an ordinance for the administration, use, maintenance, parking fees and penalties for the use of the parking building.
At present, the City is allowing the use of the facility for free. The shipping of the plastic wastes from Barangay Tingub in Mandaue City back to South Korea faces yet another delay.
The Bureau of Customs, Cebu Port Authority and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) still have to coordinate properly to complete the process of transporting the garbage back to Korea.
“We were informed that there is a need to properly repack the items before they are loaded back into the ship,” said lawyer Mae Elaine Bathan, the chief-of-staff of the mayor.
Bathan said there is no timeline set as to when the process of repacking the garbage will be finished.
At least 30 trucks or trips would be needed to pull out the trash from Mandaue to the Cebu International Port in Cebu City.
As of yesterday, only two trucks were allowed entry at the port.
The City will be filing charges against those responsible for dumping the garbage in Barangay Tingub, said Bathan.
In a separate interview, Felix Suico Jr., head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said they are on standby to support the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, especially in providing equipment and security to the residents.
“Our personnel is monitoring (the area) 24 hours and it’s strictly no entry to residents,” he said.
Suico reminded the public to be alert and to be careful with the highly hazardous materials.