Mayor: Arrest more litterbugs
Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog has directed the anti-littering enforcement team to arrest at least 15 litterbugs per day as part of the expansion of the enforcement scope of Ordinance No. 149.
The City Environment and Natural Resources Office, which supervises the 15 members of the enforcement team, has also extended their operation from five to seven days a week during the Christmas season.
Mabilog said that he wanted the city’s environment to be clean and free from garbage until it becomes garbage-free with no litters along the streets.
He also directed the garbage trucks to exhaust all means to collect trash around the city.
The enforcement team has reported 19 apprehensions from December 1 to 12 while from November 1 to 30, 68 violators were apprehended.
If all enforcement agents do their job, they may be able to apprehend perhaps more than 200 violators a month, Mabilog said.
Those caught will be fined with P500 for the first offense; P750, for the second offense; and P1,000 and imprisonment at the discretion of the court, for the third offense.
Earlier, violators have been charged before the City Prosecutor’s Office and cases were eventually elevated at the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Branch 9 under Judge Evelyn Rondael.
Update of cases filed in court showed that 16 cases are scheduled for hearing at MTCC Branch 9, while nine cases are slated for filing before the City Prosecutor’s Office.
Two violators have been issued warrant of arrest for failure to pay the fine or show up in court.*PNA
