Recently Mandaue City recalled two garbage trucks from Barangay Guizo because the barangay failed to collect garbage in a timely manner and dispose of it properly.
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| https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/mandaue-city-to-recall-2-garbage-trucks-from-guizo |
FOR allegedly failing to properly manage waste within its jurisdiction, Barangay Guizo will lose its two garbage trucks owned by the Mandaue City Government.
This was confirmed by Guizo Barangay Captain Jesus Neri Sr. in an interview with SunStar Cebu on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024.
Barangay Guizo reportedly violated the city ordinance on proper waste management as it continue to dispose of mixed waste in unauthorized areas.
The City Government ordered the recall of the garbage on Thursday, Sept. 5, heeding the recommendations from the Mandaue Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro).
Neri, however, requested the City to recall the garbage trucks on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
The City, he said, will assume the garbage collection in Guizo as the barangay-owned truck is not functional.
Multiple citations have been issued to Barangay Guizo. The most recent violation, recorded on April 3, 2024, showed the barangay’s failure to comply with the city ordinance that mandates that waste be disposed of only in designated facilities.
Despite a P5,000 fine being imposed, the penalty remains unsettled, prompting City officials to issue a first and final notice demanding immediate payment.
According to Cenro, Barangay Guizo has been subjected to multiple citations since March 21, 2019, for its repeated waste management violations.
Cease and desist orders were issued on Jan. 12, 2024, and Jan. 4, 2024, directing the barangay to halt improper waste disposal methods.
The village chief said that waste management is a challenge in Guizo, as they are using only one garbage truck because the other truck is under repair.
Two important things here need to be noted. The first is that the Barangay Captain, Jesus Neri Sr., requested that the city recall the trucks. Despite his admission that this happened at his request he is calling this act "political harassment" on the part of Mandaue City.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/9/11/village-officials-in-mandaue-city-cry-foul-over-recall-of-garbage-trucks-collectors |
Officials of a barangay in Mandaue City, Cebu have cried foul over the recall of city-owned motor vehicles and city-paid job order employees for garbage disposal services.
Barangay Guizo Captain Jesus Neri Jr. said the move of the city government, through city administrator James Calipayan, recalling the barangay’s two drivers and one garbage collector has severely affected its garbage collection.
“We only have one garbage truck and it cannot be avoided that there are times that it breaks down, that's why garbage is not collected timely,” Neri told reporters on Wednesday, September 11.
The vehicles and the workers were recalled by the city government on September 3.
With a population of more than 10,000 people with three major hospitals, hospitals, and a mall, Guizo needs to have adequate personnel and a working garbage truck to prevent uncollected garbage from piling up.
“Before Guizo had only 44.3 hectares but it has expanded to more than 80 hectares now,” said Neri.
Neri added that their workers tasked to collect garbage have complained of delayed salaries.
During the press briefing, Neri showed uncollected garbage that had piled up beside the barangay hall.
“We have a weekly clean up drive, we tried to ask assistance from the city but we were just told their garbage trucks are defective. So what can we do?” said Neri.
Neri described the recent move by the city government as political harassment.
“It is clear that what they did was political harassment,” said Neri, an ally of Mandaue Rep. Emmarie “Lollipop” Ouano.
Ouano is rumored to be running against Mandaue Mayor Jonas Cortes, who is currently serving a one-year suspension.
Neri said he has been bashed on social media for the uncollected garbage in the barangay.
“I have been repeatedly ridiculed on social media. I was accused of being remiss in my job. It was in 1997 when I first became a barangay captain here. I wouldn’t last this long if I was not doing my job well. It is not easy to manage a barangay,” said Neri.
Neri appealed to the city government, now headed by acting Mayor Glen Bercede, to reinstate the recalled job-order employees.
He also asked the city to fulfill its promise of helping the barangay in its garbage collection.
If Neri requested the trucks be recalled how is this an act of political harassment? Neri also claims he asked the city to assist with garbage collection but he was told their garbage trucks are defective meaning they cannot offer any help. That is in contradiction to his previous statement Mandaue City will assume garbage collection. How will they do that if their trucks are defective? These statements are contradictory.
The second important thing to note is Barangay Guizo has two garbage trucks but only one is in operation. But who owns these trucks? The Barangay or the City? It would seem the City since they recalled the trucks. Why not simply repair the trucks if that is the problem?
Another issue affecting this situation and indicating the City owns the trucks is job order employees claiming their pay has been withheld for several months.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/594924/mandaue-some-guizo-job-order-workers-say-their-salaries-delayed |
Some city paid job order employees in Barangay Guizo have complained about the delay of their salaries.
Antonio Abellanosa, a garbage truck driver and Arjay Serafin, a garbage collector said that usually they could not receive their P4,000 monthly honorarium on time.
(There are days that these will be delayed, there are times two months. Those two months it will not be given in full [they will give that] in two months, they will skip a month and so.]
(It will reach 2 months, it could have been better if the salary is given in full, only one month’s worth of salary will be given. The second pay will be given every two months. And it will be again delayed.)
Abellanosa and Serafin were appointed by the city as job order employees and paid on honorarium basis at P435 daily under the Tourism Department and Promotion Program of the Barangay pursuant to Sangguniang Panlungsod Ordinance no. 16-2023-1837.
Guizo Barangay Captain Neri said that since February 2023, Lawyer Jamaal James Calipayan designated the first first barangay councilor as the signatory of the Daily Time Record of the city government paid Job Order and Clean and Green Personnel assigned in the barangay instead of him.
Calipayan said that they authorized Arnulfo Capacite because the city trusted him but the supervision and control would still be in the Barangay Captain.
Capacite is an ally of suspended Mayor Jonas Cortes while Neri is an ally of Congresswoman Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon.
For his part, Capacite denied the two months delay of the honorarium.
If there would be a delay, the longest time would be two weeks, he said.
He said that he would immediately sign after they would fill up their DTR.
Calipayan also denied the allegation of Neri that politics was behind the recall of the truck.
Calipayan said that Neri was given enough time to improve their garbage collection system.
He added that the environmental citation was issued to the barangay since 2018 from a previous administration.
Neri said that they had been trying their best to collect garbage in the barangay.
He planned to ask for a garbage truck to Mandaue Rep. Ouano-Dizon.
And here is where the alleged political harassment comes in. Mandaue City Administrator Jamaal James Calipayan does not trust Barangay Captain Neri and they are allied with differing politicians. It is, allegedly, a case of partisan politics. That is, of course, if one ignores the fact Barangay Guizo has been cited for faulty garbage collection since 2018 and Neri has been given plenty of time to improve garbage collection.
Neri says he has been Barangay Captain since 1997 which is 27 years. That is quite a long time for any one man to hold onto power. He says he would not last so long if he had not been doing his job. However, the garbage woes of Barangay Guizo date back at least 10 years if not more. In 2014 it was reported trash was piling up in Barangay Guizo.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/46181/garbage-left-piling-up-near-guizo-barangay-hall |
More than 50 sacks of uncollected garbage awaits motorists and visitors passing through A.S. Fortuna Extension in barangay Guizo, Mandaue City.
The bulk of the garbage, mostly plastic items, are found within walking distance from the Guizo barangay hall.
Guizo barangay chairman Jesus Neri Jr. said they don’t have garbage trucks to collect the trash from these areas.
To reduce the smell, residents covered the garbage with a tarpaulin.
“We’ve called Mandaue City to also collect our garbage but sometimes no one arrives,” Neri said.
“There were times that we told the residents to bring out their garbage, but when no one comes we have no choice but to leave that there,” he said.
Engr. Ricardo Mendoza, chief of Mandaue City Hall’s Solid Waste Management Board, said the garbage trucks run on fixed schedules to collect trash from the city’s 27 barangays.
He said it is each barangay’s responsibility to collect the garbage of their constituents.
In a meeting with some of the barangays, Mendoza said garbage trucks usually prioritize the collection of garbage from commercial firms.
“Instead of the households, they first collect garbage from the companies. Since they have recyclables, they’ll bring these to the junkshops and not to the landfill. It takes them so long to back for the household,” Mendoza said.
“We told the drivers to collect in the afternoon for companies and prioritize the households,” he said.
Mendoza said they tag every household who turn over their garbage to collectors in order to distinguish them from the residents who dump garbage anywhere.
Ten years ago Neri claimed the Barangay had no trucks to collect garbage. It's not certain if that means they had two trucks but both were in the shop for repairs. If the City owns the trucks and they are loaned to each barangay that would place the problem squarely in the lap of Mandaue City.
Clearly there are a lot of issues going on in this situation. Garbage needs to be collected and it is the Barangay's duty to make sure that happens. Not only is Barangay Captain Neri doing a poor job at ensuring the garbage is collected but he is also divided from the City administration due to having different political allies. What's needed at the very least is better communication between the City and the Barangay. Yet Neri had ten years and more to fix the situation and it has only deteriorated. And who suffers? The people.
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