San Juan City Mayor and Metro Manila Council (MMC) president Francis Zamora said on Tuesday, Sept. 16, that a resolution has been passed agreeing to a standard P5,000 fine for all Metro Manila local government units (LGUs) for littering.

Zamora said this is their way of disciplining the public, explaining that a higher fine will encourage people to be more careful about disposing of their trash, especially those who throw garbage into rivers, creeks, canals, streets, or other prohibited areas.

“Alam n'yo ho yung basura rito ay makikita ninyong binalot ng maigi sa plastic pero imbes na tinapon sa basurahan, tinapon po sa ilog (You can see that the trash here is neatly wrapped in plastic, but instead of being thrown in the proper bins, it was dumped into the river),” he said.

“Kung hindi po natin didisiplinahin ang ating mga mamayan at patuloy lang silang magtatapon ng basura sa ating mga ilog, mga creek ay paulit-ulit rin nating mararanasan ang problema ng pagbabaha sapagkat base po sa ating karanasan, kapag po nagbabaha sa ating mga lungsod at humupa na po ang baha, anong naiiwan sa ating mga kalye? Tambak-tambak na mga basura (If we do not discipline our citizens and they continue to throw trash into our rivers and creeks, we will keep experiencing the same flooding problems. From our experience, after the floodwaters recede, what is left on our streets? Piles and piles of garbage),” Zamora added.

The mayor noted that even with improvements to drainage systems and wider waterways, flooding will still occur if they remain clogged with garbage.

“Whether it's big or small (garbage), the fact is, dapat ang mindset natin ay h'wag magtapon ng basura (Our mindset should be not to throw trash in the wrong place),” he emphasized.

In case the current fines in some cities differ, Zamora said they have agreed to amend their ordinances to standardize the fine at P5,000.

As for Pateros, it will retain its P2,500 penalty because it is a municipality. Implementation will depend on how the LGUs amend their ordinances.

In San Juan City, Zamora said that on Monday, Sept. 15, penalties were amended, raising the fine for individuals caught littering from P3,000 to P5,000. For establishments, the fine remains at P5,000.

He added that local government personnel, including police and barangay officials, have been deputized and are now authorized to issue violation tickets to offenders.

“Muli paalala ko po sa lahat, h'wag po tayo magtatapon ng basura sa mga maling lugar. Mayroon pong tamang lugar na mapagtatapunan. H'wag po sa mga ilog, h'wag po sa mga creek, canal, at daluyan ng tubig sapagkat ‘yan po ay magiging dahilan ng patuloy na pagbabaha po rito sa Metro Manila (I would like to remind everyone not to throw trash in the wrong places. There are proper disposal sites available. Do not throw garbage into rivers, creeks, canals, or waterways, as these are major causes of recurring flooding in Metro Manila),” he reminded.