Negros Oriental Board Member, Dr. Liland Estacion, held a public hearing recently, on the zero open defecation campaign.

Estacion, chair of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Health, said the province is pushing for the crafting of this sanitation policy to address open defecation and poor access to improve sanitation.

She said the ordinance also aims to safeguard quality public health and the well-being of the residents for sustainable water and sanitation programs in the province.

The press release said open defecation practice contributes to the contamination of the water system, food, and soil, and increases the number of flies and insects carrying excreta that will bring about gastrointestinal diseases that may be fatal.

In the proposed ordinance, aside from the fines of P200, P500 and P1,000 for the first, second and third offense, respectively, persons seen defecating in public places will also undergo a behavioral change seminar, clean the soiled area, or undergo community service, Estacion said.

It is noted that diarrhea ranks as third leading cause of morbidity in Negros Oriental, where residents still make use of crude toilets or defecate in the open, the press release said.

Records of the Provincial Health Office showed that of the 241,688 households in the province, only 185,214 or 77 percent has access to sanitary toilets while 24 percent or 56,474 households are still without access to sanitation or defecate in open areas. About 221,592 or 92 percent of the households in Negros Oriental have access to safe water.

The ZOD provincial technical working group, headed by Dr. Egardo Barredo, considers the task of ending the practice of open defecation challenging.

He has called on barangay officials to collaborate with local health authorities, as such situation is prevalent among poor households in the hinterlands.

Most residents who do not have sanitary toilets are considered poorest of the poor, thus the PTWG is also collaborating with the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

With the technical assistance of World Bank, the PTWG said areas with no sanitary toilets include the municipalities of Bindoy, La Libertad, Vallehermoso, Mabinay, Pamplona, Dauin, Zamboanguita, and Siaton, and the cities of Tanjay and Guihulngan.

With the support of some local chief executives, a series of community-led total sanitation approach had been conducted to households without access to fix-point toilets in the barangays. *RG

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