Carrot-and-stick
FINALLY, the Sangguniang Panlungsod took note of garbage piles found in Bacolod’s public markets, the Manokan Country and the Vendor’s Plaza in Bacolod City. I can see them along Luzuriaga Street after attending prayer meetings of The Feast.
The SP through a resolution has to give with a gentle reminder the Department of Public Services, City Administrator’s Office, and City Mayor’s Officesectoral Concerns, and the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office. Thank you, Councilor Bartolome Orola.
Orola’s resolution said it is imperative that a regular clean-up drive should be conducted in all public markets of Bacolod City, including the Vendor’s Plaza, and the Manokan Country.
He noted that it’s the continuing concerns of the city is the strict implementation and observance of proper solid waste management and the promotion of cleanliness and orderliness in the public markets to achieve a consumer and vendor-friendly marketplace.
The resolution said that considering the daily volume of waste that passes through the canals of the markets and surrounding areas, timely maintenance and intensified declogging of canals must be implemented to improve the flow of water and holding capacity of the drainage systems.
Orola and the SP noted that’s important to encourage participation of the market vendors in the activity as a means of raising public awareness.
I might add my two cents to the resolution. It’s not just the market vendors that should be served notice. It should be the general public who should be made aware of their civic duties and penalties for flouting the law.
How many times have we seen the riding public throw their trash out onto streets? Do smokers flip their cigarette butts in public places as their ashtrays? Or shoppers dispose their one-time use of their sando bags? Traffic enforcers and police officers ignoring infractions of the law. Waay sila labot?
The Christmas season is over. Yet proper ecological solid waste management is not. Not just dispose, collect, collect, and dump onto landfills. Orola’s resolution should have basic state policies enshrined in Republic Act 9003.
He should, for example, reiterated the law’s basic policies: (d) Ensure the proper segregation, collection, transport, storage, treatment and disposal of solid waste through the formulation and adoption of the Best Environmental practice of the 3 RRRS (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) in ecological waste management excluding incineration; (e) Promote national research and development programs for improved solid waste management and resource conservation techniques, more effective institutional arrangement and indigenous and improved methods of waste reduction, collection, separation and recovery.
On the part of the local executive, I have yet to see an honest to goodness efforts education information materials including the use of social media to promote the law. All that’s needed is honest-togoodness law enforcement. Learn to use the stick.* (bqsanc@yahoomail.com)