- CHERYL G. CRUZ
Any person caught littering and dumping garbage at the Sum-ag River in Bacolod City will be fined P1,000 or more, after the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved on third and final reading an ordinance establishing the waterway as a tourist destination.
Councilor Jason Isidro Villarosa, chairperson of the SP Committee on Tourism and author of the ordinance, said that the building of illegal structures and vandalizing of traffic signs and tourism-related signage in the area are also prohibited.
The City of Bacolod has become a gateway for various tourist destinations, and it is the prerogative of the local government to maintain and preserve the natural resources situated in the city, including the Sum-ag River, stretching from the boundary between Bacolod and Bago City in Negros Occidental, up to the mouth of the river meeting the Guimaras Strait, the ordinance said.
Business establishments and entities surrounding the river are all required to observe proper waste disposal and segregation.
“Organizations, agencies, groups, and individuals along the river are all responsible for the immediate cleanup and proper waste disposal, else they will be subjected to penalties provided for in the ordinance,” Villarosa said.
The Sum-ag River Council will be created and chaired by the City Mayor, to implement the provisions of the ordinance and ensure compliance.
Funding of P500,000 shall be part of the City’s Development Plan and sourced from the 20 percent Annual Investment Plan, the ordinance, co-authored by Councilor Thaddy Sayson, said./CGC
