Board member volunteers to gather capitol garbage

By: Gail T. Momblan

FIRST district board member Marcelo Valentin Serag went around Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s offices to voluntarily gather their trash garbage on Jan 8, 2019.

Serag, committee on appropriations vice-chairperson, made the move after Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. pointed out, among more important things, the lack of janitors and elevator operators because of the non-passage of the 2019 budget.

The governor claimed that the contract of janitorial services at the Iloilo provincial capitol expired Dec 2018.

“Matu-mato kamo pindot sa elevator magsakay kamo. Wala kita sang janitorial services, wala janitor manglimpyo sang kasilyas,” Defensor said during the flag raising ceremony on Dec 7.

Some capitol employees even wore black shirts on Monday to join calls to the SP to hasten the budget deliberation.

But Serag, who also heads the committee on general services and human resources, believes that it is every capitol employee’s obligation to maintain a clean workplace.

“Concerned lang ako kay te sympre wala pa gd man (budget)… Obligasyon na naton nga empleyado kay te ang kinahanglan may general services pa gid kita. Kon alang alang gid man, kon wala gid man, te ngaa indi kita magbulig pagpatinlo sang aton nga capitol?” he said.

The entire sixth floor of the capitol where the SP holds office was cleared of trash, Serag laer found out.

“Kada isa nagbulig man. Subong wala pa ang manuglimpyo naton, obligasyon naton ang capitol, daw balay naman ni  naton,” he said.

“Diri kita nagasinarayo, ngaa hulaton pa gid naton nga may magpaninlo nga iba nga ang aton basura. Sa akon CR (comfort room), nga marapit sa akon pwde man suguon akon staff (nga magpaninlo),” he added.

Board Member Dorothy Paes, appropriations committee chair, said she “will call the attention of the General Services Office” to clarify the status of the janitorial services.

“Ma-clarify naton kay ti ara ya istorya lang ang maguwa, indi kita gusto nga mag-hearsay-hearsay lang kita, ang aton iya gusto lang ang kamaturoan that’s why ginapangayo naton ang opinion sang higher agency. Ari i-call ta ang attention sang GSO para masabat man kon ano ang matuod sini,” she said.

She said she is also willing to clean the capitol like Serag did.

“Apat kami sina ang nnaka-schedule nga maninlo. Actually si board member Serag nag-start kolekta sang basura. Actually, buwasschedule man ni board Domingo Oso,” she said.