By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Metro Manila may soon have a new breed of enforcers whose sole mission is to chase down litterbugs, illegal dumpers and repeat garbage violators under a proposal to create dedicated “Garbage Police” across the capital region.
Las Piñas Lone District Rep. Mark Anthony Santos is urging Metro Manila local governments to establish and deputize specialized garbage enforcement units with authority, where legally permitted, to apprehend violators of anti-littering and solid waste regulations.
Santos said the garbage crisis cannot be solved if existing laws remain merely words on paper.
“We need garbage police who will be visible on our streets and in our communities.”
Unlike ordinary barangay tanods, the proposed units would be specifically trained and deputized to enforce waste-disposal rules in streets, sidewalks, waterways, markets, transport terminals and known littering hotspots.
They could also be authorized to issue environmental citation tickets and document violations through photographs, videos and other lawful evidence.
Santos said the proposed garbage police should receive regular monthly compensation from appropriate LGU funds, subject to government budgeting, accounting and auditing rules.
He also called for closer coordination among the new enforcement units, barangays, local environment offices, the PNP and the MMDA so that apprehended violators are properly documented and processed.
Metro Manila already prohibits littering, dumping and throwing garbage in public places under MMDA Regulation 96-009, with enforcement carried out by the MMDA and its deputized personnel.
But Santos acknowledged that enforcement alone will not solve the problem.
He stressed the need for regular garbage collection, adequate trash bins, public education and a comprehensive solid-waste management system.
“Ang layunin natin ay hindi lamang manghuli at magmulta,” Santos said, emphasizing that the ultimate objective is to change the culture of careless waste disposal.
The proposal comes as garbage continues to clog waterways and create environmental and public-health problems in parts of Metro Manila.
For Santos, the issue is no longer simply about cleaning streets after garbage has already accumulated.
It is about making violators think twice before they throw anything on the ground, into a canal or into a waterway.
If properly trained, legally empowered and consistently deployed, the proposed Garbage Police could become the government’s frontline against Metro Manila’s perennial trash problem.
But the bigger challenge remains: enforcement must be matched by government itself—with reliable collection, proper disposal facilities and a system that gives residents no excuse to dump their garbage wherever they please.
In the capital’s garbage war, discipline cannot remain an ordinance on paper. It has to be seen—and enforced—on the streets.
ia/xf
