THE NUMBER should shock every Ilonggo.
Seventy-four tons of garbage. Collected from Iloilo City’s rivers and creeks in just two weeks, as reported by this paper yesterday.
That is a warning about what happens when environmental neglect is allowed to accumulate, hidden beneath murky waters until it resurfaces in the form of floods, pollution, and public health risks.
The sheer volume of waste recovered through Iloilo City’s “Oplan Kontra Baha” campaign reveals a crisis that extends far beyond the city’s boundaries. If one local government unit can uncover 74 tons of garbage in such a short period, how much waste remains lurking in the waterways of other cities and municipalities across Western Visayas?
That is the question every mayor, governor, barangay captain, and environmental officer in the region should be asking today.
For years, discussions about flooding have often centered on heavy rains, typhoons, and climate change. These are legitimate concerns. Yet the mountains of trash pulled from the Jaro River tell another story — one that points directly to human behavior, weak enforcement, and complacency.
Nature did not dump those 74 tons of garbage into the river.
People did.
Plastic bottles, food wrappers, discarded household waste, and other debris did not magically appear in waterways. They came from homes, businesses, communities, and individuals who either ignored proper waste disposal rules or believed someone else would clean up after them.
The consequences are now becoming painfully clear.
Garbage clogs waterways and drainage systems, reducing their capacity to carry floodwaters. Communities downstream suffer. Roads become impassable. Homes are inundated. Public funds that could have been used for development are instead spent responding to preventable flooding.
The problem does not end there.
As city officials correctly pointed out, much of this waste eventually reaches the sea. There, it breaks down into microplastics that find their way into marine life and eventually onto our dining tables. The pollution we throw away has a way of coming back to us.
What makes the situation even more troubling is that Iloilo City is hardly unique.
Many rivers, creeks, esteros, and coastal areas throughout Western Visayas face similar pressures. Communities in Capiz, Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, and other parts of Iloilo have long grappled with improper waste disposal, encroachment on waterways, and inadequate environmental enforcement. The difference is that not every local government has undertaken a cleanup effort extensive enough to expose the true scale of the problem.
The danger is that many communities may be sitting atop their own “74 tons” of hidden garbage without even realizing it. This is why Iloilo City’s experience should serve as a regional wake-up call. Local governments should not wait for devastating floods before inspecting their waterways. They should not wait until rivers become open dumps before acting. They should not wait for environmental disasters to force their hand.
Instead, they should conduct regular river assessments, strengthen solid waste management programs, enforce anti-littering ordinances, establish waste traps where necessary, and hold accountable those who continue to pollute public waterways.
Equally important is public participation.
No amount of government intervention can succeed if citizens continue treating rivers and creeks as convenient dumping grounds. Environmental stewardship cannot be outsourced entirely to city halls and municipal offices. It begins in households, schools, businesses, and communities.
