Barangay heads bemoan hardships due to irresponsible waste disposal

Some barangay captains bemoaned their residents’ utter lack of concern and discipline in waste disposal which they said made flood control and clean-up operations complicated at the height of howler “Crising.”

Punong barangay Raymund Laxamana of Pinsao Proper, in a social media post July 19, 2025, expressed dismay at his constituents who took advantage of the heavy rains to discharge their septic tanks .

“Dakayo met dita a ket haan u kuma nga kunaen nga gapo ti pigsa ti tudo na ket ibulos u ladtan ti nagiyan ti SEPTIK TANK U! Awan karebengan u nga mangited iti sakit ti umili. Amo u met nga maiparit dayta. (You there, I hope you won’t say that just because it’s raining hard, you can already dislodge the contents of your septic tanks. You’ve got no right to cause illness to our community. You all know that that is not allowed),” Laxamana scolded.

He promised to go after the violators. “Danunen me dakau metlang dita together with the Sanitation (Division) and CEPMO. ISARDENG U DAGITAN NGA ARAMID U. (We will catch up with you anyway together with the Sanitation Division and the CEPMO. Better stop what you are doing).”

“Awan bain da dagita . Iso nga haanak to met nga mabain nga mang file ti kaso kadagita. (They’ve got no shame so I won’t be ashamed when I file cases against them),” Laxamana added.

Laxamana’s post gained support from his barriomates.”

Grabe garud kap. Binmangon kami nga nag sakit tyan mi. Sobra angot na. Tinawen basta ada bagyo or napigsa nga tudo. (It’s gross. We woke up with stomach pain due to the stench. They do that yearly every time a typhoon or heavy downpour comes), one resident averred.On the same day, Magsaysay Private Road under punong barangay Debbie Banagui also made a post on its struggle to keep their area of jurisdiction flood-free due to the garbage pile that kept on clogging the flood control metal screen trash guard installed along the tributary leading to Balili River.

“Disiplina sana po to avoid flooding. It’s good the rain stopped a little bit at 5:15 p.m. that we were able to remove the debris in the trap. Palalo!,” the officials bewailed.Seeing as the barangays have realized the root cause of the city’s struggle to prevent flooding and other environmental hazards during inclement weather, Mayor Benjamin Magalong urged the barangays to be more vigilant in implementing the law.

“The barangay officials have seen the effects of the lack of discipline. This deplorable act reflects the kind of attitude of some of our constituents. It is about time that our concerned barangays should be more vigilant and intensify law enforcement without fear or favor,” he said.

The mayor reiterated his resolve to further increase the penalty and to file cases against littering and improper disposal of solid and liquid waste to serve as a deterrent.The mayor recently issued a marching order to the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) and the City General Services Office (GSO) to gather as many evidence as they can against individuals, households and establishments indiscriminately throwing waste along roads and discharging septage into the waterways to warrant the filing of cases against them.

“The situation has become so frustrating. Undisciplined people have been ignoring the law and shamelessly showing their utter lack of concern for the environment, for our roads and parks, for our rivers. Maybe it’s time to teach them a lesson,” the mayor said. – Aileen P. Refuerzo