Mayor Greg Gasataya yesterday pushed for the strict enforcement of the anti-littering ordinance to sustain the city’s flood prevention and mitigation efforts after a huge volume of garbage had been collected from major waterways in the past weeks.
“We’re studying the penalty aspects of the anti-littering ordinance. We need to implement this. We can’t just clean up every day and let those who throw garbage anywhere get away with it,” the mayor said in an interview.
City Ordinance 531, or the Anti-Littering Ordinance of Bacolod City, which was passed on March 23, 2011, prohibits the littering of plastics, papers, or any other refuse in open or public places, waterways, and recreational areas and provides penalties thereof.
Any person caught violating the ordinance shall, upon conviction, be fined P500 for the first offense and P1,000 for the succeeding offenses, and shall render community service for not less than one day to not more than 15 days.
In the clean-up operation for Banago River alone, at least 10,995 kilograms of garbage have been collected, and almost 500 tons of silt have been extracted from July to August.
Gasataya ordered the clearing and de-clogging of the city’s major waterways after floods caused by monsoon rains affected more than 5,000 Bacolodnons in early July.
The clean-up drive in waterways is part of the city’s flood mitigation efforts targeting vulnerable areas, including Barangays 2, 8, and 10, which are located in the city proper.
“This needs the support of everybody. I am asking for everyone’s support, not just for residents of Bacolod, but even for those who come to the city every day,” Gasataya said. | PNA
