That one small inconvenience

I ALWAYS have a dilemma while walking along the streets of Cagayan de Oro: that is when I buy something like food-to-go or anything that has a wrapping on it, most of the time, I end up bringing it home before I could dispose it properly. Why? Because there are no designated public trash bins available in most corners of the city streets.

There are big, public trash bins in every barangay. True. But not enough to cover almost every corner of the street or at least strategically put at nearby distances so that people can easily throw their garbage without putting it elsewhere, before that controversial privately-owned garbage collecting vehicles get it within the day.
 
Sometimes, I feel guilty when I throw plastic wrappers anywhere on the streets out of no choice because of the absence of these garbage bins near the areas. Where have all that garbage bins gone? I wonder.
 
Projects like putting public garbage bins usually begin at the barangay (village) levels, especially those areas that are considered as highly urbanized or developed, whether it's residential or commercial in nature. The public garbage bin projects are usually easy to achieve, probably legislated or resolved in a barangay, and you just devise huge drums, convert into garbage bins by painting it and label it with "biodegradable" and "non-biodegradable" (segregation is another issue).
 
And the budget allotment of this kind of project sometimes are easily approved and disbursed, not to mention the donations and solicitations coming from elected officials that will add up to the purse of hundreds of garbage bins just to ensure cleanliness in the city streets.
 
But where have all the garbage bins gone? I wonder. Am I insinuating another form of corruption and red tape? It depends on who is reading this.
 
Like government officials or workers, the existence of public garbage bins in the city is actually fewer as to the ratio of the population the city has now. I have no concrete and analytical data on it but try to look at the surroundings and walk every 50 to 100 meters and tell me if you can throw your trash that easily.
 
A "little" concern like this can sometimes lead into a crisis, and then another Pandora's Box will be unleashed that could reveal uglier truths, because other than the challenges we have in managing our filths on the streets, we may also be dealing with some filths "in aid of legislation."
 
And if we cannot address the small filths that we have, how much more the bigger filths that look clean on the outside?
 
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Blind Item: Women empowerment and upholding women's rights are always a very good idea and a virtue for everyone to observe especially in the corporate world. But in this department of an organization, it's more than that. There are new Amazonian rules to follow from the top head down to its demi-gods.
 
Now where's the problem? When a qualified and deserving person was denied of the promotion he desired on that department just because he's male, instead, they promoted another female subordinate who in fact actually needs more "rice to eat" when it comes to strategizing skills. The department has other male personnel, too, but they are the "errands" type.
 
(Nef Luczon is a freelance journalist and a part-time communications faculty and trainer. He is also a film and art enthusiast. Send comments to nefluczon@gmail.com)