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Bacolod City, Philippines Friday, January 13, 2012
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We’re acting on garbage: Bing
BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO

Bacolod City officials said they are looking for measures to solve the garbage problem of the city and collect all uncollected garbage by next week amid mounting anger from the community.

There is a campaign in facebook to post pictures of uncollected garbage around the city to prod public officials to act on the problem. Some claimed they will dump their garbage at the government center if the city will not collect them.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday said the problem was caused by certain new policies being implemented in the city and noted that it was the end of the year and so many celebrations were taking place, exacerbating the garbage problem.

There was no problem with funding, but there were new administrative procedures they have to follow and the Department of Public Services is trying to adjust to them, he said.

This is part of the transition period for the DPS people and they are working double time now to cover the backlog, he added.

Leonardia said “The overall situation, both at the beginning and ending of the year, was aggravated because of the usual Christmas season blues we get every year, when the volume of garbage is always problematic.”

Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson said he was assigned by the mayor yesterday to preside over a meeting with a team from the DPS headed by Efren Canlas, and which also included City Accountant Ed Ravena, Bids and Awards Committee chairman Goldwyn Nifras, BAC secretary Melvin Ricarbar and a certain Amago who is in charge of the casuals.

Sayson said that during the meeting they discussed preparations to ensure that there will be no delay in the procurement of gasoline. Before the supply of gasoline runs out after 15 days, they will already bid for the next supply, he said.

“We have some difficulty in finding a bidder, especially if you talk about bulk delivery because of fluctuations in the prices of gasoline,” he said.

Sayson, and the mayor appealed for the patience and understanding of the people whose garbage have not yet been collected by the DPS, saying they are doing their best to address the problem.

“The DPS is now 100 percent operational, and we hope to be able to reach everybody by next week,” Sayson said.

He said these operations will be good for the next three months and, hopefully, all the requirements for the privatization of garbage collection will be completed within the period, he said.

Leonardia said he would like to dissuade any insinuation that this has something to do with the plan of the city to privatize garbage collection.

“Whether we privatize or not, those who are inclined to proceed with the privatization plan do not need a situation like this to justify it. Only a malicious mind could think of something like that,” he said.*CGS

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