One shallow justification

THE CITY Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) has come up with this shallow justification in trying to explain the erratic schedule of its collection of garbage in some subdivisions in Catalunan Grande, Davao City.

This we learned from a woman who moved around the subdivision, specifically at Pag-ibig Homes, last Tuesday claiming to be working for the CENRO as its monitoring person for garbage collection activities. According to the woman the schedule is not consistent because the garbage truck driver has a hard time negotiating his large truck in the subdivision roads. The CENRO woman added that the driver has been complaining that vehicles of subdivision residents are just parked on either side of the road in front of the owner’s house.

We term the justification “shallow” and even silly because of the following reasons:

First, the garbage collectors had been doing the rounds inside the subdivision for years already with exactly the same situation on the residential enclaves’ roads. And we have personally witnessed that there never was any difficulty in maneuvering the large garbage truck.

Second, while it is true that most vehicle owners park their car on the road side fronting their residence, they position it in a manner leaving enough space for the driver of the garbage truck to maneuver.

Third, the garbage truck does its rounds inside the subdivision usually towards noon. This is the time of day when subdivision roads are almost empty of parked vehicles as most are being used by the owners in going to their respective workplaces.

If at all there might be instances that vehicles remain parked on either side of the roads and may appear closer to each other, the situation could have been easily avoided if the CENRO-contracted garbage collector truck is consistent with its schedule.

There were several instances that no collections were done in a week. And there were times when the truck comes on Tuesdays and at another week on Thursdays, and sometimes on Fridays.

Hence, it would not really be remote that on a particular Tuesday, Thursday or Friday there are vehicles either owned by residents or by their family visitors parked on the road side by the time the truck do its collection routine.

But definitely this road situation inside the subdivision could be avoided if the schedule is fixed and religiously followed.

And household wastes inside black bags would not be left to stray animals’ mercy if placed outside right on the scheduled collection day and time.

Constricted roads therefore, is far from being a reasonable excuse in not complying with defined responsibilities by any government instrumentality and its agents.

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Last Tuesday we had this conversation with a friend Melchor Labajo who oversees operation of a small fast food and coffee shop in front of the office of this newspaper.

We talked about the fate of newly sacked Bureau of Corrections national director Nicanor Faeldon who was also “forced” out of his former position as Commissioner of the graft-ridden Bureau of Customs.

According to Bay Melchor it seems that controversy has become Faeldon’s twin. When he was an active member of the Philippine Marines Corps he was embroiled in at least two power grab attempts during the Gloria Arroyo administration. He made it through under a later Presidential amnesty given by former President Benigno Simeon Aquino.

When he supported then Presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte he was appointed to head the Bureau of Customs when the former Davao City mayor won handily in the 2016 Presidential elections.

But somehow major large scale smuggling of illegal drugs went through his bureau. This was busted however.

After a thorough, all the time insulting Senate Blue Ribbon investigation of the case, another damning disclosure on the “Tara” system came about. Faeldon, though insisting that he never was recipient of such multi-million, had to go reluctantly.

But in spite all the allegations the former Marine officer did not lose the trust of the President. He was appointed again to head another controversial government agency, the Bureau of Correction which administers all the national penitentiaries in the country.

Again, during his short stint as head of the BuCor another serious money making activities were unearthed. Faeldon was fired by the President. But still the later openly expressed his belief that Faeldon is not a corrupt official and he is an honest person.

Because of these controversies and the unwavering trust of the President on the man, our friend Bay Melchor could not help thinking that Faeldon could possibly be intentionally fielded by the chief executive in such agencies to flush out fearlessly the shenanigans in those offices even at the expense of his own reputation.

In other words, Faeldon could be some kind of a “willing sacrificial lamb” just to attain one noble objective, according to our friend Bay Melchor Labajo.

Well, his thought on Faeldon’s case may be outlandish to many. But we believe that there may be some sense in it. After all, many heroes had led a life of controversies before their good deeds came to light.