Tiangco files measure punishing litterbugs with canal-cleaning service

Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco has filed a measure seeking to punish litterers with community service in the form of cleaning drainage canals.

With the southwest monsoon triggering non-stop rains, flooding has brought tons of trash into waterways. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) recently hauled three weeks’ worth of garbage from the Redemptorist Water Channel in Parañaque alone.

In his bill’s explanatory note, Tiangco said there is already a law penalizing littering but that it has failed to effectively deter the practice because of poor implementation.

“The required canal-cleaning community service is intended to impress upon offenders the stark contrast between the minimal effort required to properly dispose of their garbage and the substantial time, effort, and public resources needed to remove waste from canals and drainage systems,” Tiangco said in his bill.

“By participating in canal-cleaning activities, offenders are expected to develop a deeper appreciation of the consequences of improper waste disposal and a stronger sense of personal responsibility toward protecting the environment,” he added.

Under the proposed measure, first-time offenders will be required to render one day of canal-cleaning service.

Those who commit a second offense will be required to render two days, while each subsequent offense will be meted three days of mandatory canal-cleaning service.

Litterers who fail to complete their required community service will be subject to appropriate proceedings and penalties under the Revised Penal Code. — MCG, GMA News