Remulla pushes for Local Gov’t Code amendment to unify waste management

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Thursday pushed for amendments to Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code in a bid to unify waste management programs by region.

During a House of Representatives appropriations committee hearing on his department’s 2027 budget, Remulla explained that RA No. 7160 tasked only municipal and city governments with implementing their respective master plans for garbage collection.

“It is a plan of each and every municipality that is not necessarily integrated,” he said.

READ: Palace to LGUs: Keep trash off streets, waterways

“Garbage collection is a scale business. If a small municipality engages in contracts by themselves, then the costs become higher and more inefficient,” he maintained.

Remulla, who was Cavite governor before becoming DILG chief, said the town of Novoleta, the smallest municipality in the province, has only 370 hectares under its jurisdiction.

“How can they possibly dispose of their garbage within their system if it is LGU (local government unit)-based?” he said.

“If we can restudy the Local Government Code to make it a regional program, a regional approach to solving the garbage problem, then that can be more efficient,” he added.

Caloocan City 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice then cited that the Constitution grants President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the power to supervise local government units.

However, Remulla answered, “You’re talking about 40,000 local government units. Supervising them to that minute level?” 

“I think a structural reform on how garbage is collected is a more effective way of addressing the problem rather than using our existing laws, which are arcane and almost useless in their application,” he stressed. /das