The Mandaue City Council approved an ordinance on third and final reading on Monday, July 20, 2026, to allocate an initial P5 million annually for a solid waste management education program in public schools.
Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano must still sign the ordinance, which funds a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Education Mandaue City Division to integrate waste lessons into elementary and high school classes.
According to Councilor Carlo Pontico Fortuna, the annual allocation will cover learning materials and resources to help instill proper waste handling, reduction, reuse, and recycling habits starting at an early age.
THE Mandaue City Government is set to allocate an initial P5 million annually to support a solid waste management education program in public schools after the mayor signs an ordinance approved by the City Council on third and final reading Monday, July 20, 2026.
Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano still has to sign the ordinance before it can be implemented.
The funding will support the implementation of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the City Government and the Department of Education (DepEd) Mandaue City Division to integrate solid waste management lessons into elementary and high school classes.
Education program
Councilor Carlo Pontico Fortuna said the ordinance provides an initial annual allocation of P5 million to ensure continued funding for the locally developed education program.
“We already have a MOA between the City of Mandaue and DepEd-Mandaue to include solid waste management in the curriculum. It will be part of both grade school and high school lessons, covering reduce, reuse and recycle. To ensure the program continues, since it is only a local curriculum, we have allocated P5 million for it,” Fortuna said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
He said the allocation will cover learning materials and other resources needed once DepEd begins implementing the program in schools. The amount will be included in the city’s annual budget and may be increased depending on the program’s requirements, including additional instructional materials and technology.
Fortuna said DepEd-Mandaue City will determine how the lessons will be incorporated into the existing curriculum while the city continues to push for the program’s long-term adoption in classrooms.
Although the initiative will initially cover public schools in Mandaue City, he said private schools are encouraged to adopt similar lessons.
Changing habits early
The City pursued the program because solid waste remains a community concern that requires changing people’s habits at an early age, Fortuna said.
“Solid waste is a community problem, and it all depends on our culture and habits. It should be instilled in people from childhood through adulthood on how to properly handle, minimize and reuse waste,” Fortuna said.
“It starts with educating people, which is why we are making sure that solid waste management is included in the curriculum for students,” he added. / SHERYN MAE SINOY, UV INTERN
