Palace backs harsher penalties for improper garbage disposal

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang has backed proposals for harsher penalties for littering and improper garbage disposal by local government units (LGUs) after President Ferdinand Marcos himself Jr. learned about the sea of trash and debris that clogged a waterway in Parañaque City after intense rains brought by the enhanced southwest monsoon.

Palace press officer Claire Castro on Tuesday said the sight of a literal sea of garbage in the Redemptorist Water Channel in Barangay Baclaran was “truly shocking.”

“This is not what the government wants to happen. We want proper waterways where water can flow freely,” she said.

Asked for comment on proposals to put harsher penalties for those found to be improperly disposing of their garbage, Castro said: “Dapat po (As it should be).” 

Castro called on LGUs and their officials to address the issue of improper waste disposal.

She said barangay officials should play a bigger role in stopping illegal dumping by stepping up the enforcement of ordinances in their respective communities.

“The President also wants everyone to work together. But the government cannot keep working while our citizens become increasingly careless and then point fingers at who is to blame,” she said.

READ: Marcos: Flood control efforts effective, water recedes faster

During his inspection of a drainage trailer pump in Las Piñas City on Tuesday, Marcos urged LGUs and the public to properly dispose of their garbage.

According to Marcos, much of the garbage found in the Redemptorist Water Channel did not come from Parañaque alone but from other areas.

“Because our canals had been opened, all that garbage was carried into them,” Marcos said.

Marcos called on LGUs and the public to exercise greater care in disposing of their waste, warning that improper garbage disposal could cause significant damage during heavy rains and flooding.

Marcos said continued dredging had helped reduce flooding in several parts of the capital despite heavy rains in recent days.

He described dredging as a temporary measure while the government works on longer-term flood control projects.

Citing reports, Malacañang said some parts of Metro Manila were submerged in floodwaters because large amounts of garbage clogged waterways and rivers.

READ: Maximum fine for littering in Metro Manila set at P5,000

In September last year, the Metro Manila Council (MMC) passed a resolution imposing a unified P5,000 fine for littering across the metro’s 16 cities.

Pateros, the lone municipality in Metro Manila, will implement a P2,500-fine, the maximum allowed for municipalities under the Local Government Code (LGC).

In a phone interview, MMC chair and San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora said the mayors have not yet discussed further increasing the fines for improper garbage disposal.

According to Zamora, Congress should first amend the LGC and other laws to increase the penalty ceiling allowed for ordinances of cities and municipalities.

“If there will be proposals in Congress to amend the Local Government Code, then we in the MMC can initiate discussions in raising the fines of our anti-littering ordinances,” he said. /jpv