At least 33 families in Cebu City were issued notices by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) last Friday for violating Section 26 of City Ordinance No. 2398, which requires every household to have their own septic tank and comfort room (CR).
Seventeen of these families were residents of Barangay Suba, while 16 came from Barangay Ermita.
Violators who cannot pay the fine ranging from P1,000 to P5,000 will be required to join the simultaneous clean-up drive in select coastal barangays in the city on Saturday, September 15, in celebration of the International Coastal Clean-up Day.
“Wala sila’y mga CR. Kung naa man gani, deretso sa dagat ilang hugaw. Unya wala pod silay septic tank (They don’t have a CR. Others have but their waste goes directly to the sea. They also don’t have septic tank),” said Nida Cabrera, CENRO officer-in-charge.
CENRO is also conducting a foot patrol in Barangay Pasil to look for violators of the city’s Septage Management Program.
To address the issue, Cabrera said the city government is now proposing to install a communal septic tank for the affected residents. The communal septic tank is designed to accommodate 20 households.
“Aduna tay gi-design nga communal septic tank. Usa ra ka septic tank, unya baynte ka balay ang magtabang. Mao nang i-meeting gyud nato sila (We have already our own design of septic tank. Only one septic tank that can accommodate up to 20 households. That’s why we should conduct a meeting for them (affected residents),” said Cabrera.
Meanwhile, there’s a written directive from the office of the City Mayor requiring barangays that will participate in this Saturday’s coastal cleanup to segregate the biodegradable waste from non-biodegradable waste and weigh the total amount of trash that they collected.
CENRO identified barangays Sawang Calero, Suba, Pasil, Ermita and San Roque as priority areas during the coastal cleanup “kay mao ni sila ang mga identified areas nga naay activity for marketing fish products,” Cabrera said.
Non-coastal barangays in the city were also encouraged to participate in the celebration by conducting their own clean-up drive in their respective sewers and rivers.
Cabrera said the day also marks the installation of 10 biofences, wherein each of the five barangays will be installed two biofences each. The biofences will prevent the garbage from reaching the city’s coastal areas. /USJ-R Journalism Intern Zena V. Magto
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