Proposed Quezon City ordinance penalizes discarding of textbooks as garbage

Quezon City Councilor Marvin Rillo: No throwing away of textbooks PHOTO FROM QUEZONCITYCOUNCIL.PH

MANILA, Philippines—A Quezon City councilor has sought the passage of an ordinance restricting the disposal or sale of old textbooks to junk shops and proposing penalties against those who treat the educational reading materials as garbage.

Fourth district councilor Marvin Rillo proposed the enactment of the Textbook Donation Ordinance of Quezon City directing residents to donate, instead of throwing away, all kinds of textbook and designating a book collection day for the Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department and the city’s public library.

In his proposed ordinance, Rillo cited the provisions of the Constitution where priority is given to education and where the rights of citizens to quality education and the State’s duty of making it accessible to all are provided.

The councilor said that the ordinance shall apply to and govern “all kinds of textbooks used in both formal and non-formal systems in public and private schools in all levels of the entire educational system.”

A book, in the proposed ordinance, is defined as “a printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers, and prescribed by the educational institutions as guide to both educators and students for the formal study of a subject.”

Rillo suggested that the books be donated to the proper government institutions or offices and reputable non-government organizations, including the city public library, district libraries, barangay (village) libraries, shelters for juvenile delinquents, and private institutions that may request for book donations.

He said that disposing books as part of a household’s garbage would merit a reprimand “through rendering (of) community service.”

Since the public is restricted from including books in garbage, the city’s garbage collectors are instructed to assign a day for book collection where the reading materials will be turned over to the Quezon City Library for sorting.

He proposed that the EPWMD and the Quezon City Public Library be tapped to implement the ordinance, which is to take effect upon approval.