Cebu City LGU strictly enforces garbage segregation,
stiff penalties ahead for non-compliant households
(05 April) – Cebu City residents now have to comply with an existing ordinance that mandates every household to segregate their garbage with the strict enforcement of city ordinance 1361 and 2031 or else face the stipulated penalties.
Cebu City Councilor Edu Rama, Committee Chair on Public Services called on city residents to start segregating biodegradable from non-biodegradable wastes before disposing these to the garbage trucks
“We will now strictly enforce the law as we are now on the fourth day of rigid implementation as we see changes little by little with households forced to comply.” according to Rama during an interview over ABS CBN’s local TV Patrol News.
Under city ordinance 1361, non-compliant households or violators will be forced to pay a penalty fine of P500 to P 5,000 and risk imprisonment for one day to six months depending on the decision of the court.
Rama said he received reports of people grumbling why they are forced to segregate their garbage, as there are others that actually see the need to adopt solid waste managementbeginning within their homes.
“But the hardest part is the people’s attitude. We are daily assessing the enforcement amid the ongoing education drive down to the barangay level,” Rama said.
Cebu City has 80 barangays with almost a million of population.
Barangay leaders and tanods are going on a house-to-house campaign in the massive advocacy drive and distributing a one-page flyer to inform residents that the city government is serious in implementing the law and make sure every household complies with such law.
Cebu City Ordinance1361 refers to establishing a system of garbage collection and imposing fees while ordinance 2031 enforces waste segregation.
Under the flyer, garbage wastes are divided into three categories namely biodegradable, non-biodegradable and residual wastes, which every household should segregate accordingly.
Rotten foods, vegetables, leaves, fruit peelings, paper, fish intestines, animal feces and cardboard or boxes fall under biodegradable wastes.
Non-biodegradable garbage referred to plastic bags, plastic straw, ice water plastic bags, junk foods, scotch tape, styrofoam and tetra packs, the flyer contained.
Under residual wastes, these include napkins, diapers, rag cloth, battery, fluorescent and unusable bottles.
Also prohibited under the ordinance include the dumping of garbage in public areas, non-segregation of garbage, garbage dumping on non-schedule, spitting, urinating and defecating in public spaces.
Councilor Rama announced the schedule of garbage truck to pick up the segregated garbage. “For biodegradable and residual wastes, the schedule for pick-up is every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are the pick-up schedule for non-biodegradable wastes,” Rama declared.
“No segregation, no collection policy” will also be implemented to non-compliant households apart from facing the risk of the penalties involved, Rama bared. (PIA-Cebu/Fayette C. Rinen)
============
MGB-7 warns illegal mining operations
By: Hazel F. Gloria
Cebu City, April 5 (PIA)--Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB-7) warns illegal mining operations urging end-users such as EWP Cebu Corporation, KEPCO and CEDC to be strict in requiring their suppliers to show proof of legal mining operations.
“Any illegal extraction of limestone shall be dealt with accordingly!” MGB-7 regional director Loreto Alburo stated.
Alburo cited the effects of illegal mining or quarrying operations that include loss of revenues from taxes and fees, environmentally unsound practices, unsystematic and unsafe operations, and un-rehabilitated or abandonment of mined-out areas.
With that, Alburo met with the officials of EWP Cebu Corporation, Cebu Energy Development Corporation (CEDC), San Vic Corporation, Quarry Ventures Philippines Inc. (QVPI) and LGU-City of Naga for a technical conference on the sourcing by these coal-fired power plants of their limestone requirements.
Alburo called for a technical conference after a report from the Multipartite Monitoring Team (MMT) of Quarry Ventures Philippines Inc. (QVPI) revealed that manual extraction of fist-size and head-size limestone is ongoing within the contract area of QVPI.
The extracted materials were allegedly sold to KEPCO and CEDC as additive during the process of coal combustion.
MMT interviews with the stone gatherers indicated that the products are delivered to the said coal-fired power plants.
He urged to the officials to commit not to accept deliveries from suppliers who could not present legal papers or documents such as Small Scale Quarry Permit issued by the LGU-Province, Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA), Mineral Processing Permit (MPP), Quarry Permit, or Accreditation for Trading/Retailing of Minerals issued by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
Natural limestone has been widely used as desulphurization solvent because it contains a great amount of Calcium Oxide (CaO) thereby reducing the smoke, particulate matter and smut as Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) formed is captured by the solvent added as bed material, Alburo explained.
“There’s no let up in our campaign against illegal mining or quarrying operations. We are willing to extend the necessary technical assistance to these limestone gatherers for them to become legitimate without compromising the integrity of our environment,” he concluded. (PIA-7/HFG with data from MGB-7)
============
Gov't hospital, RAFI to hold colorectal cancer forum for LGU employees
By: Minerva BC Newman
Cebu, April 05 (PIA) -- The Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), a government hospital held a forum on Colorectal cancer for the employees of the Mandaue City government in observance of March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
The forum was in cooperation with the Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC) of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI)
Dubbed as “Defeating Colorectal Cancer”, the forum featured Dr. Loreto B. Ong, a private practitioner on colorectal surgery from the General Surgery and Surgical Onconology Department of VSMMC, as the resource speaker.
Dr. Ong said that some causes and risk factors of colorectal cancer include aging; being 50 years old and above; hereditary; environmental; dietary; inflammatory bowel disease; and alcohol and smoking.
He pointed out some symptoms of the cancer, such as change in bowel habits; rectal bleeding; abdominal pain; bloating; vomiting; unexplained anemia; weight loss; and poor appetite.
“What a person can do is consult a doctor and inquire about prevention and treatment methods against colorectal cancer while observing the habit of regular and proper screening for early detection of the disease,” he said.
According to EJACC’s Metro Cebu Population-based Cancer Registry statistics, incidence rate and mortality rate of Colorectal cancer among men and women aged 30 years old and above are high.
From 1993 to 2005, about 773 men and 600 women who are 30 years old and beyond were recorded to have the disease. Within the same period, 464 men and 344 women aged 30 and above have died of the cancer.
Colorectal cancer can be diagnosed through colonoscopy, biopsy, and CT scan for clinical staging.
According to Dr. Ong, the five-year survival rate of patients in the Philippines with colon cancer is 47.72 percent only while rectal cancer is only 19.45 percent.
Colorectal cancer for Stage 1 and 2 can be treated through surgery; Stage 3 through surgery and chemotherapy; and Stage 4 through surgery, chemotherapy and palliation.
“Colorectal cancer is preventable through proper screening that detects precancerous polyps that should be removed before they turn into cancer. Screening also help detect colorectal cancer early when treatment can be very effective, so be screened for life,” Dr. Ong said.
To prevent colorectal cancer, Dr. Ong recommended the practice of healthy lifestyle as well as observance of regular and proper screening. (PIA-7/MBCN with reports from RAFI-Nancy R. Cudis)
===========
96 high school grads in CV passed the DOSt-SEI scholarship exams
by: Juju S. Manubag
Cebu City, April 5 (PIA) --- Ninety six high school graduates out of 2,847 examinees in Central Visayas passed the scholarship exam given in November 21, 2010 by the Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-SEI).
According to DOST-7 Scholarship Project Assistant, Ariadne Victoria Pada in a phone interview with PIA that out of the total number of qualifiers, 79 qualified as scholars under the RA 7687 scholarships, a scholarship program for talented and deserving students belonging to economically disadvantaged families. The remaining 17 passed the DOST-SEI Merit scholarship program.
For the RA 7687 scholarship, Cebu garnered the highest number of qualifiers with forty eight (48), followed by Bohol with twenty one (21). Negros Oriental came next with eight (8) and 2 from Siquijor.
For the DOST-SEI Merit scholarship, Cebu also garnered the highest number of passers with 9 qualifiers while Bohol and Negros Oriental has four qualifiers each.
DOST-SEI scholars under the RA 7687 will receive tuition fee subsidy and other school fees, book allowance, monthly living allowance for 10-11 month duration and more.
On the other hand, DOST-SEI Merit scholars receive the same benefits as the RA 7687 scholars except for a pro-rated monthly stipend depending on their economic status, according to Pada.
In Cebu, the DOST-SEI scholars under the RA 7687 can enroll in the following universities; University of San Jose-Recolletos (USJR), Cebu Normal University (CNU), Cebu Technical University (CTU), Cebu Institute of Technology(CIT), University of San Carlos (USC) and University of the Philippines (UP), Lahug Campus.
The DOST-SEI Merit scholars can only enroll at USC and UP, Lahug campus, Pada informed.
On April 13, the new qualifiers will have an orientation-seminar at the AV Room of the University of San Carlos, Talamban campus, Cebu City.
Qualifiers can enroll in state universities and other schools recognized as Centers of Excellence or Centers of Development by the Commission on Higher Education, taking up courses in Agriculture, Agricultural Biotechnology; Agricultural Chemistry; Agricultural Engineering.
They can also take up Applied Mathematics; Applied Physics; Biochemistry; Biology; Ceramics Engineering; Chemistry w/ Applied Comp. System; Chemistry w/ Materials Science and Engineering; Chemical Engineering and Chemistry.
Other courses also include Civil Engineering; Computer Engineering; Computer Science; Electrical Engineering; Electronics and Communications Engineering; Environmental Science; Fisheries; Food Technology; Forestry; Geology; Geodetic Engineering; Geological Science and Engineering and Industrial Engineering.
The scholars can also choose from the fields of Information Technology; Manufacturing Engineering; Materials Engineering; Mathematics; Mechanical Engineering; Metallurgical Engineering; Mining Engineering; Molecular Biology and Biotechnology; Physics; Physics with Applied Computer System; Physics with Materials Science and Engineering; Science/Mathematics Teaching and Statistics. (PIA-Cebu/JSM)