STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS - Bacolod City

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The DPS has 4 old garbage container vans, 3 of which are currently under
repair. Considering the need for this equipment to combat the proliferation of
mini-dumpsites in populous areas, 5 additional garbage container vans worth P1
million were bought and placed at strategic points in the city.
Big stores, malls, hospitals and schools were also encouraged to have
their own garbage container vans which the DPS periodically hauls away and
empties out. Presently, there are 17 of these private container vans which are a
big help to our garbage collection efforts.
We are now in the process of procuring protective gloves and masks for
our garbage collectors. Those on the night shift will also be issued reflectorized
vests so that they can be easily seen as they work on roadsides at night.
Two groups of Monitoring and Enforcement Teams were also formed to
check on uncollected garbage and apprehend illegal dumping of garbage. From
July to December, 2007, our Enforcement Team had filed about 70 cases of
illegal dumping. From January to June this year, we are down to 38 cases. We
believe our enforcement activities are starting to bear good fruit. These cases do
not include minors and violators above 70 years of age who were just warned
and educated regarding proper waste disposal.
Considering that community cleanliness is the responsibility of every
citizen and not of the DPS alone, we had to involve the entire community in this
effort by undertaking an information campaign through TV, print and radio
advertisements.
We also requested the help of the Department of Education for an
information drive in public and private schools on how schoolchildren can help in
our “clean and green” activities not only in their schools but also at home and in
their neighborhoods.
A seminar on R.A. 9003 otherwise known as the “Ecological Solid Waste
Management Act of 2000” was also conducted by the DPS in various barangays.
We also launched in May, 2008 the “Clean and Green Contest in Barangays” to
run until September this year. In line with this, we are working more closely with
SK organizations in various barangays for a voluntary clean-up drive every
Sunday. We have observed that in barangays which actively participate in the
Clean & Green Project, there is always a noticeable improvement in the
cleanliness of its surroundings.
As of June 30, 2008, 60 of the 61 barangays have received their solid
waste management funds aggregating P3 million. The lone remaining barangay
will also get its proper share once it submits the required prerequisite documents.