For Kamputhaw trash men: Allowance gone

CEBU, Philippines - The mayor gives, the mayor takes away.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday pulled out the allowance of garbage collectors in Barangay Kamputhaw for their reported refusal to collect trash.

However, he is also eyeing giving either cash incentives or a sack of rice to garbage collectors and traffic enforcers who worked hard during the Sinulog celebrations.

The punishment came after he received reports of, and allegedly saw for himself, uncollected mounds of garbage along Gorordo Avenue.

"They refuse to collect the garbage because they said it was the problem of the city government so I won't give them allowances, bahala na sila. We will collect the garbage," he told reporters.

Osmeña said last Sunday, that the Department of Public Services garbage collectors started taking the garbage to the transfer station in Barangay Inayawan.

However, Kamputhaw barangay captain Trifonio Liquigan denied the allegations of Osmeña that the barangay garbage collectors refused to collect the trash.

"Gipalabian man na ni mayor, not the whole Kamputhaw area ang wala mi ni-collect kay kanang sa Gorordo it was assigned to the DPS collectors kay we divide the work man, ang DPS ang naka-assign niana," he said.

He added that for three days DPS did not collect the trash in the area.

"Magsige man na og agi ang 10-wheeler truck sa DPS diha nga area, wala gyud nila kolektaha, wala pud sila ni-coordinate sa barangay," he added.

Liquigan welcomed the announcement of the mayor that he was no longer giving allowance to their garbage collectors, he said the barangay council has a budget for the honorarium of their collectors anyway.

The barangay has 15 garbage collectors and only seven of them get allowance from the city government amounting to P5,000. The rest were barangay funded.

"Naa na mi gi-prepare nga budget ana, dili na mi magsalig sa city kay mao ra gihapon sige'g hold-hold sa allowance," said Li-quigan, who is allied with the mayor's political rival, former mayor Michael Rama.

Meanwhile, Osmeña said he also wants to give either cash or rice to deserving traffic enforcers and garbage collectors.

This came up after he noticed these personnel have done so much to the city just to maintain orderliness and cleanliness.

In addition, Osmeña said some of the traffic enforcers are on duty for 24 hours and some garbage collectors cleaned up after the Sinulog Grand Parade no matter how tiresome it was.

"If you do your job, I'll pay you, I am working on the bonuses of traffic enforcers, and they serve a lot more. I recognize that, many of them were practically appointed by Rama but they worked hard, they worked very hard during the Christmas holidays and during the Sinulog, grabe gyud. The traffic was bad but I tell you the traffic enforcers worked there, they even worked 24 hours. During the Sinulog, the garbage collectors… they cleaned up one day, so I will give them bonuses," Osmeña told reporters yesterday during the press conference in his office.

The respective office heads will recommend to the mayor who to reward.

He said if he opts for the cash incentive it will range from P2,000 to P5,000. He said he wants to give it as soon as possible.

"As soon as possible, you know the council have their own agenda and we will see what we can do in our own level before the presentation of the council or realignment," he said.

DPS head, former councilor Roberto "Bob" Cabarrubias welcomed the development.

"I positively support the idea of the mayor to give bonus to those deserving garbage collectors. Deserving means those who are not doing buhay-buhay while on duty," he said.

He added not all 567 garbage collectors deserve the reward.

"Not all kay duna koy nakit-an nga garbage truck nga dili motuman sa pagtabon sa truck while travelling going to the transfer station," Cabarrubias said.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Transportation Office acting head Rafael Christopher Yap, said he is also happy with the development.

"We are very happy to see our efforts recognized by the mayor. While we are still a long way from achieving our goal of reducing traffic congestion and imposing discipline on motorists, we are slowly but surely moving in the right direction. So we are very grateful that the mayor is acknowledging our progress and hope we can respond by giving him even greater accomplishments in the future," he said.

CCTO has 262 traffic enforcers in all. (FREEMAN)