The Sangguniang Panlungsod of San Carlos held a public hearing the other day on septage management and jail contraband proposed ordinances.
The proposal to establish a septage management system in San Carlos City, with prescribed penalties, is pursuant to Republic Act 9275, or the Clean Water Act of 2004, which aims to protect public health and the environment, by ensuring proper collection, treatment, and disposal of septic waste to prevent contamination of water sources and the spread of waterborne diseases.
This proposed ordinance covers all residential and commercial buildings, whether existing or planned, except those with certified on-site wastewater treatment systems approved by the City Environment Management Office and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
It requires septic tanks to be desludged every three to five years, with septage haulers mandated to transport collected waste only to the city’s mechanized septage treatment facility in Barangay Guadalupe.
DENR regulations require commercial establishments, such as malls, restaurants, hotels, and apartelles to utilize sewage treatment facilities as a condition for securing their Environmental Compliance Certificate and permits to operate, the city said in a press release Aug. 13.
This ensures that wastewater containing oil, fuel residues, metals, and high volumes of fats and grease is properly treated before discharge, protecting the environment and complying with national water quality standards.
Councilor Arthur Batomalaque, chairperson of the SP Committee on Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, said that penalties for violating or failing to comply with the ordinance include fines of P1,000 for private residences, P2,000 for commercial buildings such as malls and restaurants, and P3,000 for hospitals and funeral parlors.
Failure to comply within one year may lead to imprisonment, from one day to one year, or both a fine and imprisonment, while commercial establishments risk the cancellation of their business permits, but may still be adjusted based on the recommendations raised during the hearing and will undergo further review before final approval.
Meanwhile, the proposed ordinance prohibiting the entry, smuggling, and carrying of any form of contraband inside BJMP-manned jail facilities in San Carlos City aims to strengthen security, maintain order, and protect persons deprived of liberty (PDL), jail personnel, visitors, and the community.
It pushes for routine pat searches for all individuals entering jail facilities, including visitors and personnel, to prevent contraband, such as illegal drugs and paraphernalia, deadly weapons, explosives, liquor, cigarettes, mobile phones, gambling paraphernalia, pornography, excessive clothing, and other prohibited items from entering the premises.
Penalties include, for first offense, a fine of P1,500, confiscation of contraband, and one day of community service; second offense, P3,000 in fines, confiscation, and one week of community service; and for third offense, P5,000 fine, confiscation, 10 days of community service, and a permanent ban on jail visits.
All confiscated contraband will become government property, to be disposed of according to law, while offenders caught with nuisance contraband may settle fines within six hours of apprehension to avoid legal charges.
Councilor Jeffrey Hidalgo, chairperson of the SP Committee on Police Matters, Fire, and Penology, urged the BJMP staff to uphold fairness in pat-down searches, stressing that every person entering must be searched without exception.
Batomalaque and Hidalgo, together with councilors Armando Laguda Jr., Atty. Joseph Mark Antonio, Gerardo Valmayor III, and Mary Dawn Cañetan presided over the hearing, also attended by Vice Mayor Christopher Paul Carmona, councilors Victoriana Cabili, Jonie Uy, and Alfredo Martin Cui, City Waterworks Department head Edward Sanchez, City Engineer Rexter Nemenzo, City Accountant Jose Venfort Legaria, City Treasurer Ray John Lim, representatives from the PNP and BJMP, partner-agencies, and barangay representatives. ||
