Bontoc town women turn “Green Police”

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- The “Bontoc Green Police,” so-termed because of their role in monitoring compliance to  proper waste management, is set to become stronger with additional responsibilities, according to Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey.

These women volunteers will soon start issuing citation tickets to violators of the town’s ecological waste management policies such as segregation-at-source.

Now, they will also have the authority to issue citation tickets to those who litter, spit momma, and those establishments and persons who use styrofoam and plastic bags for dry goods. Momma-spitting has been tagged  one of growing problems of this capital town.

Bontoc banned the use of plastic bags on dry goods to lessen the garbage of the town.

Names of violators will be submitted to the barangay and the municipal government and will be made to pay fines and/or render community service depending on the severity of their offense.

They will be denied barangay, police, and mayor’s clearances.

The Bontoc Green Police was originally organized by virtue of Executive Order No. 35, series of 2013 issued by Mayor Odsey shortly after the closure of the controversial Matoytoy-ok dumpsite.

A Writ of Kalikasan case was filed against Municipality of Bontoc in 2012 by the Kalinga Anti-pollution Action Group (KAAG) over the operation of the Matoyto-ok dumpsite. Through a mutual agreement of both KAAG and Bontoc LGU in the Court of Appeals, the dumpsite was closed, rehabilitated, and re-vegetated in August 2013.

Since the closure of the dumpsite, Bontoc has revived the Oplan Perasa Basura, a contest wherein all elementary and high schools in the sixteen barangays of Bontoc collect recyclable wastes as well as bottles and plastic bags not bought by junk shops.

It has also developed Eco-park 1 for the composting of biodegradables and Eco-park 2 for the crushing of bottles and shredding of plastics used in making eco-blocks (hollow blocks containing crushed bottles and shredded plastics).

Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer Roger Agcapen said “while Green Police are instrumental in ensuring compliance with the policy on segregation at source and the schedule of bringing out of garbage, the real challenge is for individual households to have their own mini-waste management policies.”

“Something like we all become Green Police in our own way. There are still many challenges besetting the town in terms of garbage that’s why everyone’s cooperation is very important.”

This year, the Bontoc Green Police will be provided uniforms and IDs to better carry out their functions.