THE RECOVERY of 760 kilograms of plastic waste from the Batiano River, as reported by this paper yesterday, is not just an environmental red flag — it is a damning indictment of local governance and a wake-up call that Iloilo City’s waste management system is faltering where it matters most.
For years, the city government has championed cleanliness campaigns, tree-planting drives, and weekly clean-up days. These are laudable. But when nearly a ton of plastic is pulled from a single river, it lays bare a harsh reality: the city is not solving the problem; it is merely sweeping it downstream.
The numbers are stinking. Of the 650 tons of garbage Iloilo City generates daily, according to the General Services Office, only about 400 tons reach the landfill. The rest — a staggering 250 tons — remain unaccounted for. Where do they go? The rivers, streets, open spaces — and ultimately, the sea.
At the heart of this dysfunction is the chronic underperformance of barangay-level Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), many of which are either non-operational, mismanaged, or nonexistent. Despite the mandates of Republic Act 9003, numerous barangays (the city is made up of 180 barangays) still have no functioning MRFs — a failure that directly contributes to the pollution choking the city’s waterways.
Engineer Neil Ravena of the General Services Office admits as much. Monitoring remains a challenge, particularly in coastal and riverside communities, which ironically are the first to suffer the consequences of garbage mismanagement. Meanwhile, the city’s waste diversion rate remains stuck at 30 percent — far below the 50 percent target.
There is no shortage of laws, no lack of public declarations. What is lacking is accountability and data-driven enforcement. How many barangays have functioning MRFs? How many fail to meet compliance standards? Who is being held responsible? The answers remain vague.
Mayor Raisa Treñas has taken a step in the right direction by ordering a review of MRF operations and promising tighter monitoring. But this effort must go beyond rhetoric. It must result in concrete sanctions, stricter compliance mechanisms, and transparent public reporting of barangay performance.
Environmental degradation is not just a future threat — it is a present disaster. And if we are pulling plastic from rivers faster than we can stop it from getting there, then it is not just a waste problem. It is a governance problem.
Enough of the cosmetic clean-ups. What Iloilo City needs now is serious political will — backed by data, discipline, and decisive action.
