THE Mandaue City Government will start issuing citations and penalties to violators of its plastic ban ordinance this week.
The ban was implemented over the weekend.
Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing said discarded plastic ends up in the city’s drainage system, clogging it. When the city experiences a heavy downpour, certain areas get flooded as a result.
He said the purpose of the ban is to lessen the problem.
Vendors and big establishments in the city will be fined P500 for every violation, or face five-day imprisonment, if they continue to use plastic.
The City Environment Natural Resources Office (Cenro) of Mandaue City has been disseminating the information around markets and establishments to make it clear that the no plastic ban is in effect.
The mayor said the garbage situation in Mandaue City is in near critical level.
According to him, the volume of garbage is difficult to determine and it’s also hard to point out the biggest violators since people throw garbage every day.
“We do not place blame on the market vendor even establishment. Every single one of us has a contribution to the garbage problem,” he said.
Quisumbing said Cenro will be responsible for issuing the citations and penalties.
He also announced that the City will start cleaning drainage systems in different barangays. Mae Angelica Genodiala, USJ-R Intern