Bautista defends garbage fee

MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista has defended the decision of the local government to impose a garbage fee on residents starting this year.

In a report aired over ABS-CBN News Channel on Friday, Bautista said the P50 million that will be collected annually from the fee will not be enough to cover the P1.1 billion cost of annual garbage collection and maintenance of the Payatas landfill.

“These funds will either be used for disaster risk reduction and management… or environmental purposes,” said the mayor. “It can be used for urban reforestation of the city.”

On Dec. 26, Bautista signed into law the ordinance setting the rate of the garbage fee that will be collected from residents starting this year.

Based on the approved ordinance filed by first district Councilor Victor Ferrer, a fee amounting to P100 will be imposed on a resident who owns a lot with a land area of less than 200 square meters, while P200 will be collected from a domestic household with a land area of 201 square meters to 500 square meters.

The city will collect P300 for a land area of 501 square meters to 1,000 square meters; P400 for a land area of 1,001 square meters to 1,500 square meters; and P500 for a land area of 1,501 square meters to 2,000 square meters.

Meanwhile, residents of condominiums and socialized housing units will have to pay P25 for less than 40 square meters; P50 for 41 to 60 square meters; P75 for 61 to 100 square meters; P100 for 101 to 150 square meters; and P200 for 151 to 200 square meters.

The homeowners’ association of a high-rise condominium will be required to pay the annual garbage fee on the total lot size of the entire condominium and an additional garbage fee based on the area occupied in each sold or amortized unit.

Owners of high-rise apartment units will also be asked to pay the annual garbage fee computed from the total lot size of the apartment and an additional garbage fee based on the size of the lot actually occupied by a tenant.

The measure said that the proceeds from the garbage fee on residences are to be placed in a special account and used to finance the city’s various environmental and disaster risk reduction projects.

The garbage fee will be paid simultaneous with the payment of the real property tax, but not later than the first quarter installment.

The office of the city mayor, the environmental protection and waste management department, and the office of the city treasurer will be tasked to formulate the implementing rules and regulations of the measure.

A homeowner who refuses to abide by the measure will be charged 50 percent of the garbage fee and a 20 percent monthly interest until the amount due is finally settled.