He was in the mood for trash talking but it was one topic that many people wanted to hear. Tagbilaran Mayor Dan Lim yesterday discussed the garbage problem, saying he was concerned about the state of the dumpsite in Barangay Dampas. The mayor admitted that the problem has become very complicated but expressed confidence that he was “up to the challenge”. “I am not like other people who will simply wash their hands when there is a problem and especially when the problem is very big,” he added. He made no reference to anybody but most people knew who he was referring. Lim discussed the problem over his radio program “Ang Mayor Sa Dakbayan” aired live over Station DyTR every Saturday morning.

The mayor revealed that the road going to the dump site is in a very bad state but was quick to pin some of the blame on Dampas Barangay Captain Fredison Ingles. “He was boasting that he will be the one to solve the problem because he has his governor and congressman,” he added. The mayor said that he decided to take Ingles at his boast so he did not do anything about it. “I was hoping that they would do their best to prove their worth but it turned out it was not much different to all their empty promises,” he added. His critics accused the mayor of harassing the residents of Dampas in retaliation for the win of Ingles over his candidate in the last election. The mayor said people need to learn their lessons for rejecting his candidate. After waiting for one year after Ingles made the boast while campaigning for reelection, Lim said he has seen enough. “So now I have decided to solve the problem because it is within my responsibility,” he added.

He said that the difficulties that they experienced and the inaction on the part of the political patrons of Ingles should be enough to teach the residents of Dampas the lessons not to be swayed again next time. The mayor, however, admitted that that the state of the road is easiest problem to solve. “We will begin work on it soon and, who knows, we might finish it within the year?” he remarked. He said the bigger problem is the state of the dumpsite which is no longer capable of holding the trash dumped into it daily. Aside from the increase in the volume of garbage due to the population increase in the city, the trash from neighboring towns is also being thrown there. He said resorts and private establishments unload their garbage in Dampas. “So while the area of the dumpsite has not grown much even though we have acquired the adjacent lots, it is not enough to meet the ever-increasing volume of garbage that include those from the surrounding towns,” the mayor noted.

The mayor said that starting Monday, he will no longer allow garbage to be dumped in the area. He explained that unless traffic is closed, the road improvement project will not prosper. Lim also cited the increasing maintenance cost for the garbage trucks and equipment needed at the dumpsite. “At present, there are only about six serviceable trucks that break down now and then because they are already overused,” he noted. He revealed that the owner of the bulldozer that is used to level the garbage at the dump site has complained that his equipment depreciates faster than when used for other purposes due to the acid fumes from the garbage. “This is the reason why we are looking into the possibility of privatizing the waste collection and disposal services,” he added. If it will be cheaper for the city to do that, the mayor said he would be amenable to outsourcing.

At the same time, Lim said he intends to request the city council to study the possibility of passing an ordinance for the collection of garbage fees. “Nothing comes for free. It is a choice between deteriorating services for free or improved services at a minimal cost,” he added. The mayor also disclosed that he will push for the possibility of banning the use of plastics like other places. Lim recalled that he had tried to anticipate the problem on waste disposal a few years back which was the reason why he proposed a waste disposal facility in Taloto. “Unfortunately, our critics succeeded in fanning unrest among the residents so we aborted the problem,” he added. Now, the city is paying the price for its folly. “We want to solve the garbage disposal problem but we resist the solutions so now we are suffering from it,” he pointed out.