‘Linisin ang Baguio, ibalik ang janitor’

BEHIND THE SCENES
Alfred P. Dizon

Baguio congressman Mauricio Domogan must be grinning from ear to ear as he has a ready slogan in time for next year’s election – “Ibalik ang janitor para linisin ang Baguio (Bring back the janitor to clean Baguio).” His supporters who coined this, are urging him to run for mayor if he doesn’t want to vie for a Senate seat.

Domogan is now in his third and final term in Congress. Under Philippine laws, he has to slide down or move up in seeking an elective post. To his credit, the political maverick was responsible for making Baguio win as “cleanest and greenest city” nationwide during his term as mayor earning the city a slot as hall of famer.

He was named the “janitor” as he led by example in picking up waste in Baguio wherever he was. Air in the city that time was still relatively fresh. His supporters are saying they coined the slogan as under the present administration, the garbage problem seemingly could not be solved. Reports of graft and corruption also hound hauling and disposal of garbage ranging to millions of pesos.
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The city, for the nth time the past two years, is stinking. But let us not be too hard on Mayor Peter Rey Bautista as it appears, he is getting the initial campaign flak from his detractors particularly in the city council on garbage. Let us see what he can do about the problem in the coming days. Since he announced he would be running for Congress next year, expect his prospective rivals to do things to demean him. And the garbage issue could make or unmake him.

At press time, solid wastes in the 128 barangays were reportedly being collected by the city government after almost two weeks of rotting on the streets. This, after the main gate of the 5.2-hectare Irisan dumpsite being used as a transfer station, was barricaded by thousands of disgruntled residents of nearby communities in this city and Benguet.

Protesters said a May 14 memorandum which ensures the dumpsite would be utilized only as transfer station for residual waste was violated by the city government which converted the area into a dump site. They said this posed threat to life and property, especially in low-lying areas of Tadiangan and Nangalisan, Tuba, Benguet.

Irisan residents earlier warned the city government of an impending barricade at the dumpsite. This came after residents of Barangay Asin, Tuba sent to the city government a letter about their plan to shut down the dumpsite as transfer station.

As a result of the controversy, the city government didn’t collect garbage. And due to the unsanitary situation, residents and tourists are complaining, but garbage is still there with large, black flies noisily hovering above these.
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Tourists who attended the recent centennial celebration of Baguio expressed disappointment over the city’s worsening problem. Even city hall employees were saying Baguio officials could not immediately solve this because of political differences and conflicting opinions on how to solve the problem.

Protesters said they were forced to barricade the main gate of the dumpsite because the supposed transfer station area was full of garbage. The contractors hired to haul the tons of waste were reportedly inefficient and did not follow instructions.

The ball is now in the hands of the city government in fixing the problem. But collection is slow due to lack of trucks while residents are suffering ill effects of the rising piles of garbage at public places. Baguio is not the cleanest and greenest city anymore, pundits are saying, it is the “Garbage Capital of the Philippines.”

A local television commentator said it would be better for residents to dump their garbage in front of city hall as a fitting tribute to the title. I pity Peter Rey for all the flak he is getting but he shouldn’t take offense as residents are angry and the problem needs urgent attention. He is very respectful and addresses me manong, but then again, as father of the city, he has to act decisively on the problem pronto even if the city council, at times, is perceived a hindrance to his solutions.
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Beware of individuals and groups who claim to be “agents” sent by the Department of Trade and Industry to look into the conditions of LPG tanks, regulators and hoses in the region particularly in Baguio. The Regional DTI office warned about this and sent an email so the public wouldn’t be victimized by these impostors.

The DTI does not field personnel in barangays to conduct house-to-house LPG tank inspections and sell products of any kind. DTI personnel wear their official identification cards when conducting site inspections or other activities.

As regulation, any person intending to conduct a scheme or sales promotion of a consumer product or service must first secure a permit from the appropriate government agency/ A Home Solicitation Permit is normally issued by the DTI to qualified and accredited agents.
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Persons who purport to be authorized by the DTI or some other government agency to conduct inspections and sell products of any kind are criminally and administratively liable for deceptive, unfair and unconscionable sales acts and [ractices as defined in the Consumer Act of the Philippines. They are likewise criminally liable for usurpation of authority.

For verification, one may inquire from the DTI-Baguio Benguet Hotline 442-3776 or DTI regional office hotline at (074) 442-7859 if a suspected unauthorized marketing or promotional scheme is detected in your barangay. Better yet, report the matter to your nearest police precinct or barangay office.