MANILA, Philippines – More than 500 people in the metropolis have been apprehended by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in line with the agency's anti-littering program.
MMDA-Health, Public Safety and Environmental Protection Office figures showed that 588 environmental violation receipts have been issued by the agency's environmental police as of yesterday, September 27.
Of the number, 80 have chosen to settle the P500 fine while 10 opted to do community service as provided for by MMDA regulation no.96-009.
“Despite being harassed, threatened, and shouted at, our environmental police have shown utmost dedication in enforcing this regulation. We’re just hoping that the public will soon realize that throwing even a candy wrapper or a cigarette butt into the streets is a serious offense and will not in any way be tolerated,” MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said.
Tolentino ordered the revival of the anti-littering drive starting September 16 as part of the MMDA’s renewed thrust to prevent the recurrence of floods caused by the clogging of waterways.
The MMDA chief said that garbage thrown in the street ends up in the drainage and into the pumping stations of the MMDA, causing periodic malfunctions in the agency’s flood control facilities.
“Every day we have to remove hundreds of tons of garbage from our pumping stations just to keep our machines running,” he said.
Violators who choose to do community service will sweep the portion of Edsa from Edsa-Shaw Boulevard underpass up to Camp Crame, Tolentino said. - By Dennis Carcamo
