DPS Chief Biton: Jomara to collect garbage from businesses

The Department of Public Services (DPS) in Cebu City has tasked a private hauler to already collect garbage from business establishments. | CDN File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Barangays will no longer have to collect garbage from commercial establishments that are located within their areas of responsibility.

The Department of Public Services (DPS) in Cebu City will already takeover the job.

This was announced in a meeting which Engineer Joel Biton, DPS head, called with officials and representatives of the different business establishments in the city on Tuesday morning, September 17.

In the same meeting, Biton informed the group that they have designed private hauler, Jomara Konstruckt Inc., to collect their trash.

Biton said the new arrange is the city’s response to the clamor of barangay officials for the city government to already takeover garbage collection for commercial establishments.

Garbage collection has been a problem for most of the city’s 80 barangays because of their lack in functional garbage trucks.

Read More: Labella’s promise: P5M for brand-new trucks for city’s 80 barangays

Under the new arrangement, barangays will now be left to collect garbage from the residential ares located within their respective jurisdiction.

Banilad village chief Dennis Tabar said in a recent interview that it is a big challenge for the barangays to collect garbage from business establishments in addition to garbage that they would collect from residential areas.

Read More: Ong to Labella: Help barangays acquire brand new garbage trucks

Biton said that with the recent extension of the city’s contract with Jomara, DPS through their private hauler will now take responsibility of collecting garbage from business establishments.

“Ang Jomara naextend ilang contract hangtod end sa October or first week of November. Apilon na nilag kolekta ang mga establishment,” said Biton.

(Jomara’s contract with City Hall was extended until the end of October or the first week of November. Under their extended contract, we will now be asking them to also collect the garbage of business establishments.)

City Hall pays P1, 400 per ton of garbage that Jomara collects. The city has allocated P42 million for the extended contract that will be implemented from September to October this year.

The city’s original contract with Jomara lapsed on June 30, 2018 but it has been extended at lest three times since. | dcb