THE eco-enforcers of Mandaue City Environment and Natural Resources Office (MCenro) will hold their graduation ceremony on September 11 and 12, 2025, at Waterworld, marking the deputation of a new batch of environmental law enforcers under the city’s new administration.
Architect Aracelli Barlam of MCenro confirmed the event, noting that Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano will personally award the deputation to the graduates.
“We will have a commencement exercise. It’s a graduation commencement exercise. Mayor Thadeo Jovito ‘Jonkie’ Ouano will award them their deputation. They passed the process, they passed the exam and they are now qualified to be deputized eco-enforcers. This is our new batch of eco-enforcers for the new administration together with the old,” Barlam said.
The program is part of the Eco-Enforcer Transformation initiative, which trains personnel in 16 modules of environmental laws followed by examinations to qualify them for deputation.
The new batch includes 17 to 18 job order workers who will serve in various areas of the city.
“They will be assigned different areas, different shifts of the day because they have 24 hours. They will be assigned all over the city and also three shifts all over the city,” Barlam said.
Eco-enforcers will be tasked to implement city ordinances on sanitation and environmental protection. Violations such as public urination, indiscriminate throwing of garbage, and open burning of trash may result in penalties ranging from P500 to P5,000 depending on the gravity of the offense.
“There will be a penalty. It depends on the gravity of the violations, it’s as small as 500 to as big as 5,000. It depends on the gravity of the violation,” Barlam said.
To strengthen public participation, MCenro is pushing for the full activation of the “Eco Watch” website, where residents can register, report violations, and file complaints online.
“We’re hoping that Mayor Thadeo Jovito ‘Jonkie’ Ouano will be on board and he will have an admin account so that Mayor Ouano can see. That’s on the Eco Watch website where people are allowed to register and file complaints or reports. That’s what we want so that you, as a resident of M-Centro can be a part of what you can do for the community,” Barlam said.
Barangays will also be tapped to assist in monitoring environmental violations across the city. (ABC)