The sight of a sea of garbage in major waterways in Metro Manila after tropical storm Maymay and 10 days on monsoon rains was ugly and repugnant.
It was actually a stark warning to us that if we continue with our lack of proper garbage disposal system and bad habit of throwing trash wherever we want, we buried under the smelly pile just like what happened in Payatas in Quezon City many years ago.
Inspecting the clogged pumping station in Pasay City Aug. 12, President Marcos said he would not call the situation a garbage crisis but the situation is “critical.”
He said the problem is very basic: lack of garbage bins. “Ang problema kung minsan, walang basurahan. Walang pupuntahan, walang paglalagyan ng basura. and look at the place like a country like Japan, they just don’t throw their basura anywhere, they keep it in the pockets and throw it at home because there is a very good system for bringing the garbage out. That is the first problem.”
The washed-up garbage clogged canals and drainage and caused flooding in many parts of Metro Manila.
The immediate “solution” was to clear the waterways. Public works and Metro Manila Development Authority crew did that.
Photos by Bullit Marquez for VERA Files.
