Inayawan gets cited for uncollected garbage after village chief sues Labella

After filing charges against Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella and Department of Public Services head, Lawyer John Jigo Dacua, for the uncollected garbage in their barangay, Inayawan Barangay Captain Kirk Bryan Repollo was issued citations for the same offense.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Inayawan Barangay Captain Kirk Bryan Repollo was cited for violation of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, days after he filed administrative charges against Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella and Department of Public Services head, Lawyer John Jigo Dacua, for the uncollected garbage in his barangay.

Repollo told CDN Digital that the barangay received the citation on Wednesday morning, January 13, 2021, but the citation officer from the City Environment Natural Resources Office (CENRO) did not explain why the barangay was cited.

CDN Digital tried to reach CENRO head, Engineer Editha Peros, but the department head could not be reached for comment.

The citation ticket shows that the barangay violated Section 10 of the law.

Section 10 of the RA 9003 states that the Role of LGUs in Solid Waste Management, “Pursuant to the relevant provisions of R.A. No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code, the LGUs shall be primarily responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this Act within their respective jurisdictions.”

“Segregation and collection of solid waste shall be conducted at the barangay level specifically for biodegradable, compostable and reusable wastes: Provided, That the collection of non-recyclable materials and special wastes shall be the responsibility of the municipality or city,” read part of the provision.

Repollo said that there is no clear violation stated by the citation ticket and said it may be a political maneuver because of the case he filed against the city officials.

The village chief suspects it may have been due to the uncollected garbage in the barangay, which they have a hard time collecting on time due to the lack of garbage trucks and the distance between the new disposal site at Barangay Binaliw.

Mayor Edgardo Labella already said in a previous statement that the city’s responsibility is to ensure that there is proper disposal of the garbage while the barangays have a responsibility to collect them.

Labella called the move of Repollo a cheap shot and urged him to read the provisions of the Solid Waste Management Act to be reminded of the responsibilities of the barangay.

As for the cited village chief, he said the citation was an even cheaper shot.

“Unsa nga portion sa Section 10 sa RA 9003 akong violation? Kay nakabutang sa Section 10 raba kay Barangay ug CITY ang mokolekta sa basura?”

“So if filing sa Ombudsman is a cheap shot, using the Mayor’s office thru CCENRO is what man? Super cheap shot?” said Repollo in a Facebook post.

Repollo urged the city government to explain the citation and what the penalties would be as the provisions of the law do not provide penalties for the given violation.

He urged the city government to face the charges fairly as well. /rcg