City collects P220,000 in fine from waste segregation law

Thursday, February 9, 2012

THE City Government of Davao has collected some P220,000 in administrative penalties since the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) started implementing the "No segregation, No collection" policy in July last year.

Cenro officer-in-charge Joseph Felizarta said strict implementation of the city's segregation law also resulted in the arrest of 1,800 violators. Some 400 cases were also filed in court as of January.

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Feizarta said he based his figure on the total fines collected by the City Government from the duplicates of citation tickets issued by Cenro men along with deputized enforcers stationed in different barangays.

He said it is the City Treasurer's Office (CTO) that is mandated to collect fines from violators, who will have to bring the original copy of the citation tickets issued to them.

The policy charges violator a P300 fine and a one-hour mandatory segregation lecture for the first offense that will be conducted by barangay officials, P500 for the second offense or five days of community service and P1,000 or 10 days community service. For the fourth offense, cases will already be filed in court.

Felizarta said most of the violators cited came from Barangay Cabantian and Barangay 6-A.

Since the policy was imposed, Felizarta said they noted a drastic reduction in garbage collection. From 500 tons a day, Cenro workers now collect only 100 tons of thrash per day.