BACOLOD City Mayor Evelio Leonardia is set to make an assessment on the erring villages that are violating the "no segregation, no collection" policy of the City Government.
Leonardia said he will sit down with Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, chairman of Solid Waste Action Team (Swat), to address the non-complying villages for the implementation of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
From December 2017 to March 2 this year, a total of 38 villages were identified by members of Swat and Solid Waste Educators and Enforcement Team (Sweet) that violated RA 9003.
These are Barangays 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 20, 22, 24, 28, 29, 35, 38, 39, 40, Alijis, Banago, Bata, Cabug, Estefania, Felisa, Granada, Handumanan, Mandalagan, Mansilingan, Pahanocoy, Punta Taytay, Singcang-Airport, Sum-ag, Taculing, Tangub, Villamonte, and Vista Alegre.
The list of the violators was already forwarded to the Environment Management Board (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Bacolod.
"This is a gigantic task. This is something that has never done before, it is not just a simple matter. I already announced before that complying this is like building a Rome because Rome was not built in a day," Leonardia said.
He said the City Government needs the cooperation of the village officials to ensure the success of the implementation of the policy.
"We have to go legal and we have the DENR to guide us for the implementation of this program," the mayor added.
Before the filing of the charges, a formal investigation should be conducted against the erring villages, he said.
"We have to do this in a very close coordination with the DENR. The mayor's role here is more on the administrative side, we have to keep on trying and we are not giving up," Leonardia said.
Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya, officer-in-charge of City Environment and Natural Resources Office, had earlier said EMB is evaluating the status of the erring villages.
He said erring officials will be charged with violation of the waste segregation act.