DILG urges LGUs to enforce discipline in waste management

From discarded refrigerators to old sofas, uncollected waste clogging waterways remains one of the biggest man-made drivers of flooding in urban areas, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is urging LGUs to take action.

During the Post-SONA Discussions, DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla emphasized the importance of stricter enforcement of waste management ordinances and fostering community discipline. He said that while tropical cyclones can be predicted, human behavior cannot.

“Makikita mo kasi na bawat LGU [local government unit] may hazard map iyan... Alam na namin kung saan puwedeng magka-landslide, kung saan babaha, lahat iyan predictable. Ang hindi predictable, human behavior,” Remulla said.

(Every LGU has hazard maps. We already know where landslides or flooding may happen; that’s all predictable. What’s not predictable is human behavior.)

He described how, during cleanup operations, clogged drainage systems yield not just plastic waste but also furniture, beds, and appliances.

“Iyong magdi-drain ka ng kanal at ng river, makukuha mo refrigerator, kama, furniture, kung anu-ano ang makikita mo sa ilalim. And that’s all human behavior. And that is correctable if we enforce it properly,” Remulla said.

(When you clean canals and rivers, you’ll find refrigerators, beds, furniture—all sorts of things. That’s human behavior, and it’s correctable if we enforce the rules properly.)

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his State of the Nation Address on Monday, called on Filipinos to take disaster preparedness seriously, from participating in drills to following evacuation orders and avoiding dumping trash in danger zones.

“Ang daan ng kalikasan, hindi basurahan iyan, para iyan sa kalikasan talaga,” Remulla said.

(Natural waterways are not garbage dumps. They’re part of nature and should be treated as such.)

To address the issue systemically, the DILG is holding a summit with Metro Manila mayors on Friday to discuss how to institutionalize waste discipline among local communities, especially in flood-prone barangays.

“This is a governance issue as much as it is an environmental one,” Remulla said. —VBL, GMA Integrated News