School Teacher Fined for Waste Policy Violation

● Teacher not spared from the campaign on waste segregation.

A public school teacher assigned in Bonbon Elementary School in Barangay Bonbon, Cebu City is facing a P500 fine for not segregating garbage inside the waste bins in her classroom.

Angel Flores has been issued with citation ticket by the Barangay Environmental Officers (BEOs) who conducted inspection of public schools in mountain barangays on Monday.

Grace Luardo, head of the City Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET) and supervisor of the BEO’s, said the team headed by Analiza Parba asked permission from the school principal before they inspected the garbage receptacles in every classrooms.

Parba reported to Luardo that they have discovered that the teacher failed to comply with the provisions of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act and City Ordinance 2031 which requires segregation of the garbage.

“Nagsagol lang ang mga basura nga malata ug ang dili malata. Sa ato pa wala niya tudloi ang mga bata nga iyang tinun-an kabahin sa balaod nga kinahanglan nga i-segregate ang mga basura,” Luardo said.

According to Luardo, she was surprised because Bonbon Elementary School is situated in the hinterlands of Cebu City and they are lovers of the environment, but the concerned teacher failed to comply with the law.

Flores will be given one week to settle her obligation, otherwise Ceset will file criminal charges against her before the court for violating the provision of Republic Act 9003, Luardo said.

Another team of CESET and BEO’s also inspected the garbage receptacles in several classrooms of Mabolo Elementary School and Barangay Luz Elementary School and discovered that the teachers are complying with the provisions of the law.

Luardo said her personnel had been issued with mission orders to also include private schools in the inspection, but they should first ask permission from the principal.