Quick cleanup after parade assured

EVEN though it doesn’t have enough garbage trucks, Cebu City’s Department of Public Services (DPS) said it will clear the main thoroughfares of garbage generated during the Sinulog grand parade on Sunday, as early as 4 a.m. on Monday.

Engineer Dionisio Gualiza, chief of the DPS, said there’s no more time to rent garbage trucks, so they’ve decided to use all the City’s available 10-wheeler dump trucks and payloaders to hasten garbage collection after the parade.

In a meeting with some barangay officials yesterday, he also asked them to deploy all garbage and dump trucks to the streets, particularly along the parade route, as soon as the roads are opened.

“We agreed that DPS and the barangays will simultaneously start to sweep the streets and pick up garbage as soon as roads become passable. As long as it doesn’t rain, we should be able to clear the city of garbage by 4 a.m.,” Gualiza told Sun.Star Cebu.

The revelry during the Sinulog grand parade on Sunday is expected to generate 150 to 200 tons of garbage.

Action plan

During Sinulog 2011, close to 200 tons of garbage left by revelers on the city’s streets were collected by DPS. Last year, it was close to 130 tons.

Last week, Mayor Michael Rama expressed concern on the state of the garbage in the city after receiving complaints that garbage were not collected in some parts of the city.

Since some of the City’s and the barangays’ garbage trucks are not in running condition, the DPS drew up an action plan for the speedy and efficient collection of garbage during the Sinulog grand parade.

Gualiza said that all street sweepers and garbage collectors have been instructed to bring shovels and brooms so the DPS can finish cleaning the city before dawn.

Better performances

Meanwhile, Sinulog organizers promised Cebuanos and tourists that they can expect better performances from dancing contingents during the grand parade.

Although the number of contingents this year is fewer compared to last year, Ricky Ballesteros, executive director of the Sinulog Foundation Inc., said the performances will be more impressive.

Only 40 dancing contingents will be participating on Sunday, compared to 49 last year.

Ballesteros said this does not mean the parade will be shorter and will finish earlier, since there are more floats joining this year.

He said 40 floats have registered to join the parade, compared to the 30 floats last year.

He said this should be an added attraction.

The parade will start at 9 a.m. on Sunday and is expected to end around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.