Village chiefs seek delay in waste segregation policy

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Barangays captains of 61 barangays here asked Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia to postpone the implementation of the “no segregation no collection policy” to April 2020 due to what they claimed are ongoing major programs and activities of the barangays.

Leonardia said that after consultation with Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, chair of the Solid Waste Action Team (SWAT), he is set to approve the resolution as soon as it is submitted to his office, provided that this would be the last postponement.

“While the Vice Mayor and I understand their situation and will grant their request, it must be made clear that this should be the last postponement. Likewise, we salute the 11 barangays that volunteered to start as pilot areas beginning March 1,” Leonardia added.

Leonardia said on Monday that after April 1, there will be no more extension in the implementation of the no segregation no collection policy and may exercise sanctions to those who will not comply.

The mayor said that if necessary, the city will sanction barangay captains who cannot comply.

“We hope we will not come to that,” Leonardia said.

Liga ng mga Barangay president Councilor Lady Gles Gonzales-Pallen said that although they have requested to postpone the implementation, 11 barangays have already agreed to start with their “no segregation, no collection” policy on March 1.

These pilot barangays are 17, 18, 22, 31, 37, Alangilan, Bata, Alijis, Estefania, Handumanan, and Taculing.

The city government had intended to start implementing the policy on March 1, but the Liga had asked the mayor to give them ample time to implement it, since they are presently tied up with five other major tasks as ordered by the national government.

These are the monitoring and preparations against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and African Swine Fever (ASF), drug-clearing operations, anti-illegal gambling operations, and road-clearing operations.

The Liga said waste segregation must be given full attention to help minimize the volume of garbage, but at present they are also occupied with several big tasks.

The Liga ng mga Barangay met with its members, as well as with the mayor, vice mayor, and the Solid Waste Management Board Saturday [Feb. 29], to discuss the “no segregation, no collection” policy and came up with a resolution requesting the mayor to defer the date of its implementation.

The “no segregation, no collection” policy follows R.A. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.