More Cebuanos visited the Calamba cemetery in Barangay Calamba, Cebu City, in the morning of All Souls Day, Nov. 2, 2019. | CDN Digital Photo/ Gerard Vincent Francisco
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Department of Public Services has collected at least four tons of garbage in the Carreta and Calamba public cemeteries left behind by the thousands of people who paid their respect to their departed kin during the observance of All Saints Day and All Souls Day on November 1 and 2, 2019.
Engineer Joel Biton, the head of DPS, told CDN Digital by phone on Saturday, November 2, that the two tons of garbage collected each in Carreta and Calamba cemeteries mostly comprised of loose plastics, flowers, and styrofoams that were collected by metro aides and garbage collectors.
This did not include the heavier garbage such as vases, wood, building materials, and other trash accumulated in the two cemeteries since November 1, because the DPS personnel could not get through the crowd of visitors to collect them.
At least 3,000 visitors were recorded in the Carreta Cemetery, while approximately 4,000 people visited Calamba Cemetery for All Souls Day.
Biton said that the garbage is expected to increase when they start collecting at midnight of November 3, 2019, from all the 23 public and private cemeteries in Cebu City.
He said they were also able to collect in the other cemeteries, but the data were still being consolidated.
Biton thanked the City Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team (Ceset) for apprehending violators of the anti-littering ordinance, as this helped in reducing the amount of garbage in the cemeteries.
He said a total of 29 violators have been cited in Carreta and Calamba for November 2. The fine for littering in public places is P500.
Biton urged the public to throw their garbage in the designated bins of the cemeteries and avoid irresponsibly throwing them anywhere. He also said that bringing home the trash would had been a better option in reducing the trash at the cemeteries.
The DPS head said they expected that people will still visit the cemeteries on Sunday, November 3, 2019, and so the amount of garbage may still increase.
“Mao na tabangan unta mis mga tawo. Ayaw lang mo patakag labay aron dili pud hugaw atong mga menteryo. (We hope the public will help us. Please throw your trash properly so our cemeteries will stay clean),” he said. /elb