CEBU City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella told the City Environment Office to hold a dialogue and coordinate with barangay officials in implementing garbage segregation in their areas.
At yesterday’s City Council session, Labella said barangay officials should stop finger-pointing and filing cases against each other for violating the city’s garbage ordinance.
The council held a public hearing on a complaint of Grace Luardo, head of the City Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team (Ceset) against Duljo Fatima barangay councilwoman Cecile Alicaya.
Last May, Luardo filed complaints in court against Alicaya, Guadalupe councilman David Susara and Basak San Nicolas councilman Lanny Vic Fajardo for violating City Ordinance 2031 or the city “No Segregation, No Collection” ordinance.
They were also accused of violating Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 for failing to enforce the waste segregation program in their area.
Luardo said the filing of the court case could have been avoided if Alicaya appeared before her office to discuss garbage concerns in her barangay.
“She shouldn’t be angry it’s just a citation. We can talk about it,” Luardo said.
Labangon barangay chairman Vic Buendia said it’s unfair to always blame the barangays for the poor garbage collection when it’s the job of the city government.
Councilor Leah Japson asked Luardo to sit down with the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) and orient neophyte barangay officials on the city’s garbage disposal policies and the city garbage ordinance.