Stiffer penalties for littering in Metro Manila proposed

A stiffer penalty for littering of P5,000 on first offense will be proposed in the next meeting of the Metro Manila Council (MMC), the group’s president San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said Wednesday.

“We will push for higher penalties. Sapagkat kung hindi talaga natin didisiplinahin ang ating mamamayan, paulit-ulit na lang po,” Zamora said in an ambush interview.

(We will push for higher penalties. Because if we don't really discipline our people, they will repeat the same violations.)

“So kung gusto nating mas mabigat ang penalty, first offense pa lamang, posible na P5,000,” he added.

(So if we want the penalty to be heavier, for a first offense, it could be P5,000.)

During San Juan City’s Wattah Wattah Festival in June, Zamora said no violation was reported as all festival participants only splashed water inside the designated “basaan zones” due to higher penalties.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday led a cleanup operation at Lambingan Bridge in San Juan River under the agency’s Bayanihan sa Estero program.

Among the deployed equipment for the cleanup and dredging operations include backhoes, cranes, and dump trucks.

As of 12 noon, the MMDA said a total of two truckloads of trash have been collected from the river so far. 

“Our personnel use heavy equipment to haul garbage, especially in desilting and dredging, to deepen and increase water carrying capacity during heavy rains,” MMDA chief Romando Artes said. 

“This clean-up drive seeks to reinstate the natural flow of waterways, reduce flooding, and foster environmental sustainability and accountability throughout Metro Manila,” he added.

The activity was also joined by some Miss Earth Philippines candidates, volunteers from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, ride-hailing apps Grab, Angkas, Joyride, Move It, as well as TUPAD beneficiaries. — Joviland Rita/RSJ, GMA Integrated News