MANILA, Philippines — All barangay chiefs and officials in Manila will face charges and suffer budget cuts if they fail to keep their areas of jurisdiction clean, Mayor Joseph Estrada said yesterday.
He issued the warning as he led a garbage clearing operation along Road 10 in Tondo.
Barangay officials would be charged with gross negligence and dereliction of duty if their respective communities are littered with trash and filled with obstructions, he said.
During the clearing operation, Estrada reprimanded a barangay chairman after observing that the streets in the barangay were filthy. He told the official that these offenses are grounds for disciplinary action, including suspension and removal from office.
Estrada also warned residents that they also face charges if they are caught littering.
The mayor urged residents to report uncollected garbage in their areas so the city’s department of public sanitation can collect the trash.
He has also ordered Che Borromeo, Manila Task Force Cleanup head, to work double time to clean the roads and other streets of uncollected garbage.
“I want the garbage problem to be solved immediately. Clean up the entire city now,” Estrada said.