The Bacolod City government has started reviewing its garbage collection system to improve its services.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Councilor  Greg Gasataya, Liga ng mga Barangay president Diosdado Valenzuela and other officials from the Mayor’s Office recently visited the Department of Public Services to meet its officials and staff on the matter, a press release from City Hall said.

DPS officer-in-charge Josephus Cerna and Executive Assistant Valentin Jamelo reported that there are only about 25 dump trucks servicing the entire city. The mayor ordered the immediate repair of five other units that need to undergo major overhaul and repair.

A group was formed to survey and recommend within a month the implementation of a block collection system in more areas, especially in the 207 subdivisions of the city, the press release said.

The mayor also ordered the immediate repair of the road going to the present dumpsite in Brgy. Felisa to reduce wear and tear on the trucks and to make the dumpsite still easily accessible even in bad weather.

Also discussed during the meeting was the implementation of an educational campaign among schools and barangays on waste segregation, the installation of segregated garbage bins at strategic points in public places, enforcement of the anti-littering ordinance, an information drive on collection of garbage at pick-up points, and the partnership among barangays in a Modular Solid Waste Management Program where adjoining barangays can share one materials recovery facility (MRF) for recyclable waste, among others.

The release said two desilting teams were also formed to scour sidewalks of major city streets of piles of sand and other debris and to clean up street gutters and canals.

Leonardia instructed that these activities be coordinated with the City Engineer’s Office and the DPWH-Bacolod District Office considering that some major streets are under the jurisdiction of the latter, it said.

The need for protective gear, anti-tetanus immunization and first aid kits for garbage collectors were also taken up, as well as, the need for the services of the City Health Office for DPS personnel who are injured in the course of their work, the release said.

Leonardia also talked to the drivers of garbage trucks and exhorted them to be diligent in completing their assigned tasked and elicited their suggestions on how to further improve the garbage collection system.

Other officials from the City Mayor’s Office who attended the meeting were Secretary to the Mayor Goldwin Nifras and Executive Assistant Pete Malapitan.

Meanwhile, Gasataya yesterday said they have received a Secretary Certificate and Transfer Certificate of Title from the Dynasty Agricultural Corp., owner of the dumpsite. He said they will endorse these documents to the City Mayor’s Office, the City Legal Office and the Appraisal Team for review and evaluation.

The Secretary Certificate authorizes DAC president Ester Lopez to offer for sale the corporation’s agricultural lot to the city for its use as landfill site, Gasataya said.

They will ask the landowners for an extension of the deadline considering that there are still documents that have to be retrieved and the CLO is also studying whether the letter of Lopez is an offer to sell or just a demand letter for compensation for the use of their property, he said.*CGS

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