MMDA wants estero cleanup as community service for litterers

People caught not properly disposing of their garbage may soon find themselves wading through muck and sewage water.

This after the Metro Manila Development Authority on Friday said it is considering punishing violators by letting them clean up clogged esteros and waterways as part of their community service.

"Gusto ko maramdaman mo kung gaano kaimportante. Paglinisin kaya kita nang limang oras ng kanal? Kunin mo lahat iyan. Tanggalin mo sa kanal para mahalin mo mismo yung nililinis mo," MMDA chair Benhur Abalos said of the plan to use drainage clean-up as an alternative sanction to the usual fine and prison term.

(I want you to feel how important this is. What if I tell you to clean up canals for five hours straight? Collect all that. Take them out of the canal so you would learn to appreciate the cleanliness of your surroundings.)

In a report on GMA News' 24 Oras, Abalos also said he is also considering deploying marshals specifically tasked to apprehend litterers.

The MMDA has so far collected 15 truckloads of garbage all over Metro Manila after conducting declogging and desilting operations during the past few days of rain.

The MMDA said in the next one to four years, floods in Metro Manila could be a thing of the past as the World Bank planning to fund 20 pumping stations. -MDM, GMA News