Liloan Mayor Aljew Jordan Frasco addressed public concern over Municipal Ordinance 42-2026, which introduces a “Pay As You Throw, Garbage Bag System” requiring households to buy official transparent, color-coded bags priced at P12 each from local purok officers.
Frasco explained that mounting operational expenses, fuel prices, and landfill costs forced the shift to curb a waste management deficit, noting that in 2024 the Municipality spent roughly P19.9 million against just P8.93 million collected in garbage fees.
While the ordinance requires households to separate organic waste from non-biodegradable items, Frasco stated that the target October implementation date is not final as ongoing consultations continue with purok leaders, business owners, and schools.
MOUNTING operational expenses, fuel prices and landfill costs have prompted the Municipal Government of Liloan to introduce a “Pay As You Throw, Garbage Bag System” while clarifying that traditional garbage collection fees remain abolished.
Liloan Mayor Aljew Jordan Frasco addressed public concern regarding Municipal Ordinance 42-2026 following online backlash triggered by a viral Sept. 4 Facebook post by Purok Kamansi in Barangay Yati.
“I know this is not an easy adjustment, but this is very necessary for the good of our municipality. I ask for your listening ear, understanding, and above all, your cooperation,” he said in a statement in Cebuano on Friday night, Sept. 4.
Public reaction
The post detailed the new requirement for households to buy official trash bags, prompting residents to raise concerns over added household costs and collection delays.
In a video statement and official message released in response to the public reaction, Frasco said the policy is designed to curb the Municipality’s growing waste management deficit while promoting household segregation.
“Liloan will no longer collect garbage fees,” Frasco said in Cebuano. “Instead of paying a garbage collection fee, we will now buy garbage bags from the purok.”
Under the new system, households must purchase designated transparent, color-coded trash bags priced at P12 each from local purok officers, as waste collectors will gather only trash contained within these official bags.
Financial deficit
Frasco said the Municipality collects 35 to 40 tons of garbage daily, creating a significant strain on local finances.
In 2024, Liloan collected P8.93 million in garbage fees but spent roughly P19.9 million, which included P9.26 million for worker salaries, fuel and truck maintenance, alongside P10.79 million in tipping fees at the Consolacion sanitary landfill.
“In short, we collected P8.9 million in garbage fees, but we spent about P19.9 million on landfill and collection,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English. “Since that year, the prices of gasoline and parts have gone up and the price per ton charged by the landfill in Consolacion has also increased.”
The financial gap widened as the Municipality expanded its fleet from seven garbage trucks in 2022 to 23. In August 2026 alone, solid waste management expenses reached over P2.34 million, including P1.18 million in landfill fees, P600,000 for fuel and P566,032 for labor.
Frasco said forcing segregation through the bag system will lower the total volume of waste sent to the landfill, reducing tipping fees and allowing saved funds to be redirected to infrastructure projects like roads and drainage.
Bag pricing
Addressing the online feedback regarding the P12 price tag and the timeline, Frasco said the target October implementation date is not final, as consultations with purok leaders, business owners and schools remain ongoing.
He said market canvassing for durable, transparent bags ranged from P8 to P22, with options under P12 proving too thin and prone to tearing.
“Will every household really spend P12 every day on plastic? Not necessarily,” Frasco said in Cebuano, explaining that households producing less waste will spend less.
Waste segregation
The ordinance requires households to separate organic waste from non-biodegradable items like diapers and wrappers, while recyclables such as scrap metal, glass and cardboard may still be stored in separate bags or sacks for private sale to junk shops.
Frasco said while residents typically purchase black garbage bags at malls or grocery stores, the Municipality will instead offer various colored plastic garbage bags directly through local puroks to make household segregation easier and clearer, with each specific color corresponding to a different type of waste. / CDF