By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has stepped up waste management measures across its offices and units, directing police personnel to take a more active role in keeping their workplaces and surrounding communities clean.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said police officers and personnel should lead by example, particularly in proper waste disposal and segregation, as the country confronts mounting garbage problems and their impact on communities.
“As law enforcers, police personnel are expected to set good examples to the people we serve, and in this particular case, the proper waste management and segregation,” Nartatez said in a news release.
The intensified PNP measures are in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen proper waste management as part of efforts to mitigate the harmful effects of improper disposal, including flooding.
The President’s directive came after he inspected the garbage-choked Baclaran River in Parañaque City on Wednesday, where massive amounts of trash had accumulated amid heavy rains brought by the enhanced southwest monsoon, or habagat.
Marcos ordered the immediate clearing of the waterway and said the garbage problem in the area had become worse.
The cleanup operation involving the local governments of Pasay and Parañaque, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Department of Public Works and Highways removed 1,921 cubic meters of waste and debris, equivalent to 117 truckloads, from the Redemptorist Water Channel in Baclaran.
Nartatez said the PNP would support local governments in enforcing existing regulations on waste disposal.
“We, in the PNP, are ready to provide assistance to the local government units in enforcing ordinances regarding waste disposal,” he said.
He added that police personnel would continue participating in local initiatives aimed at maintaining cleanliness in public areas.
The PNP said its strengthened waste management efforts are intended to reinforce the responsibility of police personnel not only as law enforcers but also as examples in promoting cleaner and safer communities.
ia/xf
