DPS to tap barangays for garbage collection for Sinulog 2020

Garbage is seen along a Cebu City street after the 2018 Sinulog festivities. | CDN file

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Department of Public Services (DPS) said that they would need the help of the barangays to clean up after the Sinulog festival on January 2020.

Engineer Joel Biton, the head of the DPS, said that with the expected large volume of the crowd would come with an even bigger pile of garbage along or near the solemn procession and the grand mardi gras routes after the activities.

“Mocoordinate mi sa tanang barangays nga adunay kaugalingon nga loaders ug trucks nga makatabang natog pangpaglimpyo. Nagcoordinate sad ta sa ubang agencies pareha sa Bureau of Fire (Protection),” said Biton.

(We will coordinate with all barangays which have its own loaders and trucks to help us clean up. We are also coordinating with other agencies such as the Bureau of Fire Protection.)

Each barangay has at least five barangay environment workers (BEO), and DPS wants them deployed along or surrounding the Sinulog route.

Biton also encouraged the public to throw their trash properly so that DPS personnel could easily collect them from time to time throughout the activities, while the haulings would be done after the events.

The DPS has also required stalls selling refreshments during the Sinulog along or around the routes to prepare netted trash bags for plastic bottles, so these plastic bottles can be brought easily and be recycled.

Aside from the Sinulog , Biton said that they would continue to collect garbage in the city this Christmas and New Year  to ensure that garbage would not pile up in homes and business establishments.

He encouraged the public to cooperate this holiday and segregate their household house for easy collection./dbs