ZAMBOANGA City Mayor Khymer Olaso has ordered the Task Force Ordinance to penalize and disallow street vending if peddlers are found littering and illegally disposing of solid and liquid wastes in public places, particularly along RT Lim Boulevard.
Olaso expressed frustration that some people remain unconcerned despite efforts to clean the city and prevent environmental issues such as flooding and sea pollution.
Using a megaphone, Olaso engaged, on Friday night, January 2, street vendors, food truck operators, and promenaders at RT Lim Boulevard, appealing for support and cooperation with the city government’s cleanliness efforts and highlighting the importance of collective action for public cleanliness and environmental preservation.
Olaso appealed to promenaders to throw their garbage into trash cans after eating and to pick up litter and dispose of it properly.
“Sa mga may-ari ng tindahan dito, bawal din po kayong magtapon ng tubig o langis dito sa kanto kasi babaho yan. Magtulungan tayo (To the shop owners here, you are also not allowed to throw water or oil here on the corner because it will stink. Let’s work together),” Olaso said.
“Walang mangyayaring maganda sa Zamboanga City kung hindi tayo magtulungan. Pinapayagan ko kayong magnegosyo dito nang walang bayad pero pakilinis ang paligid ninyo, huwag magtapon ng basura, oil at tubig kung saan-saan (Nothing good will happen in Zamboanga City if we don’t work together. I allow you to do business here free of charge, but please clean up your surroundings and do not throw garbage, oil, and water anywhere),” Olaso added.
The mayor ordered Gerry Pollisco, acting chief of the Office of the City Environment and Natural Resources (OCENR), and members of the Task Force Ordinance to implement drastic measures to compel people, especially along RT Lim Boulevard, to comply with the law.
He said any person or street vendor who refuses to follow the law upon orders of authorities or deputized personnel should be penalized. (SunStar Zamboanga)