TACLOBAN CITY – A council member of this city asked private contractors to improve its garbage collection service even up to small streets. Councilor Raissa Villasin, chairperson of the environmental protection and waste management committee, said it is the primary responsibility of the private contractors to collect garbage and not by the city government.
Private contractors Pacer and VDSC claimed they have no small and medium trucks that could collect garbage in city’s interior roads. The contractors claimed that their small and medium trucks were damaged during the onslaught of supertyphoon Yolanda and have yet to be repaired. “It’s not a problem of the (city) government if they don’t have enough trucks that would suit to the small streets because it’s their obligation. They are paid for their service,” Villasin said. She suggested to the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) that they should remind the service contractors on their obligations.
The contractors are paid P1, 100 per ton of collected garbage. However, CENRO head Jonathan Hijada said they are not washing their hands in this issue. “As an immediate recourse, we and private contractors have requested the residents in the small streets to kindly put their garbage to the area where the big dumped truck passes through,” Hijada said.
He added that schedules for garbage collection on the narrow streets did not change even after the disaster and assured that residents still know about it.
Garbage collectors roam the city streets to collect garbage from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. (KAYE ANNE B.ORALLER, LNU Intern)
