THERE is no failure in the garbage collection in Bacolod City, an official of trash hauler IPM-Construction and Development Corp. (IPM-CDC) said.
Jan Vicente Mercado, IPM-CDC senior vice president, said in a letter emailed to SunStar Bacolod over the weekend that there were probably mistakes, but they are constantly addressing them in their everyday operations.
The company has addressed properly the collection of garbage especially on the main roads wherein the bulk of garbage is found, he added.
Mercado had earlier said they do not deny the delays that happened in the garbage collection, but there are also factors that contribute to it.
He assured the city that they are making steps to address any and all infractions which might have been committed.
“We see the said observations as a challenge to better improve our services to the city,” he said.
Mercado clarified what is stated in an earlier news report that there is “nothing new” in the imposition of penalties based on the recommendation of the Department of Public Services (DPS) to the Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB).
He said they signed a contract which provided for penalties, if and when, there were infractions committed during the collections.
These penalties for specific infractions are designed to ensure that collections are done within the standards agreed upon, he reiterated.
The imposition of penalties does not mean that there was failure in the handling of garbage collection, it only means there were certain infractions such as late collection or improper attire or waste collectors, he said.
Mercado also pointed out that although it is the prerogative of the DPS to call their attention to certain infractions, “the imposition of penalties would not be arbitrary and automatic as there has to be proper investigation and verification before it is imposed.”
These should be first done so as to afford us due process, he added.