Improved garbage collection assured

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has assured the public that there will be an improvement in garbage collection in the city.

This was after Pasajero Motors Corporation started operating the 21 garbage trucks it rented out to the city for use 24 hours a day.

"You will see a one hundred improvement in our garbage collection.... And even though Team Rama tried to block it, we are able to overcome it,” he said, saying what he was referring to would be noticed two to three weeks from now.

"We’ll be able let the people see the difference, I promise them that, " he said.

He also answered the concern of opposition party Barug Team Rama that rental fee of the trucks was expensive.

"Mas mahal if you don't collect the garbage. Mas mahal kung imong gipalit ang basura," the mayor said.

Pamocor won the bidding and was awarded the rental contract last October 2.

City Department of Public Services Head Roberto Cabarrubias said that the additional garbage trucks mean fast-tracked garbage collection in the city.

"Kay kung maguba ang ilahang trucks naa man silay ikapuli…. Sa ato, it takes time pa nga iayo nato,  maapektaran ang atong collection," he said.

City Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr., City Council committee on public services chairman, said the trucks were assigned to collect trash of business establishments and of the barangays.

In a separate interview, City Councilor Joel Garganera former City Council committee of environment chairman, said that the rental fee was expensive.

"It's too early to comment on their operations. But the facts are, the city is paying P16,800 pesos a day for each near dilapidated units, the gasoline and loaders are paid by the city. In other words, we are paying P1,512,000 for each unit for the next three months," he said, adding that each truck cannot even accommodate more tons of trash.

"To be honest about it, their dump trucks are very small in terms of tonnage and certainly don’t even cost more than a million pesos per unit. But the mayor said the city can save a lot in this kind of arrangement. Now, you figure it out ‘cause these figures don't lie. Only liars can't figure it out," he further said.

Pamocor started collecting garbage in the city using trucks that the city rented from the company last Tuesday. —/ RHM (FREEMAN)