Garbage hauler given another chance

THE hauling company that owns the garbage truck that hit a bulldozer and killed five persons in New Carmen over the weekend will not be sanctioned, but should a similar incident happen, they will stand to lose the contract with the city.

The hauler trucks however will have to pass inspection of the mechanics of the City Engineer’s Office, City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said.

She said she already instructed the city administrator’s office that if a similar incident happens, the company will lose its contract with the city.

Duterte-Carpio added that she sees no reason to prohibit scavengers from the landfill, which was among the clamor raised when the accident happened as the men killed were presumably scavengers.

"Sa mga scavengers, wala ta nagabawal, regulated jud na sila. Tanan nga naa sa sulod didto (For scavengers, we do not prohibit them, because they are already regulated), certified jud na sila by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro)," the mayor told reporters in her weekly press briefing at her office Monday.

Duterte-Carpio said the city needs the pickers or the scavengers especially in the segregation of the wastes being dumped in the landfill.

"Dili man pud ka basta-basta makasulod didto kung wala kay ID (Besides, you cannot enter the premises if you don’t have an identification card)," Duterte-Carpio said.

She said the accident was due negligence on the part of the owner of the dump truck who did not check the vehicle’s condition.

"Kung magpadagan ka ug truck, dapat sigurado ka nga road worthy na ang imong truck, Karon kung mawalaan na ug brake, there’s a presumption na kanang imung truck kay dili road worthy (Once you operate a truck, it is assumed that you have checked it for road worthiness. Because it was a case of brake malfunction, then there is a presumption that your truck is not roadworthy)," Duterte-Carpio said. (JOP)