Piles of garbage inside the Manila South Cemetery in Makati City left by visitors on All Saints’ Day. Photo by Daphne Galvez / INQUIRER.net
An environment advocacy group on Friday slammed the “brazen” disregard of Republic Act 9003 or the “Ecological Solid Waste Management Act” inside cemeteries on Thursday, All Saints’ Day.
According to the EcoWaste Coalition, heaps of garbage were found inside most cemeteries, including paper and plastic packaging, food leftovers, plastic bags, bottles and cups, plastic wrappings of flowers, and even soiled diapers.
“Our cemeteries again teemed with garbage,” Daniel Alejandre, Zero Waste Campaigner of the group, said in a statement.
According to Alejandre, littering is the most common offense against the environment during the observance of All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day and other festive events.
READ: Over 2M visit Metro Manila cemeteries on All Saints’ Day
“We lament the brazen disregard of the Republic Act 9003, which explicitly bans and penalizes littering,” he said.
The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act forbids the “littering, throwing, dumping of waste matters in public places, such as roads, sidewalks, canals, esteros or parks, and establishment, or causing or permitting the same.”
Litterbugs face payment of fines from P300 to P1,000, or be ordered to render community service from one to 15 days.
“Littering, which is also forbidden under local government ordinances, has regrettably become an ugly feature of our beautiful tradition of remembering family members who have gone before us,” said Alejandre.
Alejandre said littering is totally being disrespectful to the dead, and contradicts the purpose of going to cemeteries, which is to remember the departed.
According to the group’s “Basura Patrollers” who visited some cemeteries in Metro Manila, littering was most widespread at the Bagbag Public Cemetery, Sangandaan Cemetery, the Manila North Cemetery, and the Manila South Cemetery.
Aside from littering and mixed waste disposal, EcoWaste Coalition also noted that garbage in some cemeteries were also openly burned as shown by ash residues. /muf