Liloan mayor defends ‘pay as you throw’ garbage ordinance

Local

LILOAN Mayor Aljew Jordan Frasco defended Liloan’s new garbage collection ordinance Friday night after residents questioned the planned sale of official garbage bags for P12 each.

Frasco said the town has yet to finalize the target October implementation of Municipal Ordinance No. 42 2026, or the “Pay As You Throw, Garbage Bag System,” as officials continue their information campaign and consultations with residents.

“The October nga buwan sa pag-implementar sa bag-ong policy is DILI PA FINAL,” Frasco said in a statement on Friday night, Sept. 4.

The clarification followed a Facebook post by Purok Kamansi in Barangay Yati detailing the proposed system.

Under the ordinance, households must segregate biodegradable and non biodegradable waste and use official municipal garbage bags priced at P12 each. Waste placed in other bags would not be collected.

The ordinance also requires a P200 sticker for each bulky item, including broken sofas, televisions and refrigerators, before collection.

Frasco said the municipality is still conducting face-to-face discussions with purok officials and plans to hold similar consultations in all barangays, schools, business establishments and homeowners’ associations.

He also clarified that Liloan stopped collecting garbage fees in January and would no longer impose the fee under the new system.

“WALA NA MAGKOLEKTA og GARBAGE FEE ang Municipality of Liloan sukad Enero ning tuiga,” he said.

The municipality plans to require transparent bags for biodegradable and non biodegradable waste so garbage collectors can check whether households properly segregated their waste.

Frasco said officials canvassed suppliers and found transparent garbage bags priced between P8 and P22.

He said the municipality chose P12 because cheaper bags were smaller and thinner and could easily tear.

He said residents would not necessarily spend P12 every day because the number of bags needed would depend on the amount of waste they generate.

Proper segregation and recycling could also reduce the volume of waste collected.

“Dili ra. Depende ni sa basura ninyo nga i-generate, ug kung tarongon lang ninyo og segregate, posible modagan og usa ka semana ang inyong dose,” Frasco said.

Residents may continue using sacks or black bags for recyclable materials such as cans and bottles if they bring these themselves to buyers of recyclable materials.

Frasco said the system would replace the previous garbage fee, under which households paid regardless of how much waste they generated.

Under the new system, households producing less waste would need to buy fewer official bags, while those generating more waste would shoulder a corresponding cost.

He said Liloan’s waste management expenses have also increased in recent years.

In 2024, the municipality collected P8,933,704 in garbage fees but spent about P19.9 million on garbage collection and landfill costs.

The expenses included P9,262,752 for collectors’ salaries, fuel and truck maintenance, and P10,794,528 for sanitary landfill charges.

The number of garbage trucks increased from seven in 2022 to 11 in 2024 and 23 this year. Frasco also cited higher fuel, vehicle parts and landfill costs.

In August 2026 alone, Liloan spent P566,032 for solid waste management labor, P600,000 for fuel and P1,181,330 for landfill fees, totaling P2,347,362.

Liloan currently collects 35 to 40 tons of garbage daily.

Frasco said proper segregation and recycling could reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill and help the municipality manage its waste collection expenses.

He acknowledged that the new system would require adjustments from residents and asked for their cooperation as the municipality continues consultations before setting a final implementation date.(MyTVCebu)