NEWS BRIEFS

MANDAUE TRICYCLE DRIVERS’ SUBSIDY

TRICYCLE franchise holders in Mandaue City will be given fuel subsidy cards worth P150 each.

The cards will be distributed in the Mandaue City Sports Complex on July 28 and 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

City Administrator James Abadia said the subsidy program helped uncover fake franchises.

So far, only 120 out of 1,799 franchise holders who renewed last March 2011 will receive fuel subsidy cards.

Tricycle driver Lando Rondino, 41, said he was dismayed when he found out that the cards won’t be given to drivers.

He said the subsidy pays for fuel enough to circle his route from barangay Opao to barangay Centro seven times but was not enough

“We do not have passengers all the time. Sometimes two or three take a ride, sometimes none at all,” said Rondino, a family breadwinner who sends two children to school.

He said drivers pay tricycle rent of P100 to P150. REPORTER JUCELL MARIE P. CUYOS

WASTE REDUCTION

LESS GARBAGE is brought to the Inayawan sanitary landfill, a drop from 500 tons to 375 tons since the Cebu City government implemented a no-segregation, no-collection policy in April.

The city’s thrust now is to further reduce waste, said Councilor Nida Cabrera.

The mayor’s environment awards will be handed out in December to encourage this.

The city government will cite one coastal, upland and rural barangay for best practices in solid waste management.

Winners will receive P500,000 each. They will be chosen based on the operation of their Materials Recovery Facility, household composting, garbage segregation policy, compliance with the Solid Waste Management law, implementation of health and sanitation programs and creativity and innovation in addressing environment concerns.

Second-prize winners will receive P200,000 each. Non-winners will receive P3,000 each.

So far, 25 of Cebu Citys 80 ’barangays have an MRF.

“But they have not yet perfected the system to hasten waste reduction. The best way to reduce waste is by composting at the household level,” Cabrera said. CHIEF OF REPORTERS DORIS C. BONGCAC

CASH FOR FIRE VICTIMS

REP. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district yesterday distributed P10,000 cash to each of 185 families whose homes were gutted by fire in barangay Punta Princesa last week.

He gave P5,000 to each family with a partially damaged house and P1,000 pesos and rice to 111 families who were renting their homes.

Osmeña’s wife Councilor Margot, their son Miguel, Councilor Jun Pe and Sangguniang Kabataan Federation president John Philip Po joined the congressman.

The cash was distributed in the sitio Manggahan gymnasium.

He said the sitio was “BO-PK territory ( (Bando Osmeña–Pundok Kauswagan) and “out there is a hostile area”, referring to the barangay hall and gym.

“I am the donor and I can choose anywhere I would like to give them as long as we have the Department of Social Welfare and Development or Department of Social Welfare and Services taking care of the qualifications and the preparation of the distribution.”

Former Punta Princesa barangay captain Rolly Diorico instead of barangay captain Jose Navarro witnessed the cash distribution. CORRESPONDENT EDISON A. DELOS ANGELES