Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna —File photo from the Manila Public Information Office

MANILA, Philippines — Ninety-one garbage trucks are on the rounds in Manila to collect waste left after the holidays, Mayor Honey Lacuna assured.

“We have to collect four times the amount of our regular garbage. So that’s from December 31, January 1, and January 2. Until now, our mopping and clean-up are ongoing in the entire City of Manila,” she said in Filipino.

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“Our waste collection is running for 24 hours now. We have 91 trucks going around the city to collect garbage,” she added.

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The rush to clean up the streets of Manila comes days before the city celebrates the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo next Thursday, Jan. 9.

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For its part, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said clearing operations were underway along the route of the Traslacion – the traditional procession of the image of the Black Nazarene.

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“Right after the procession starts, our clearing operation is following. We will immediately clean up the waste,” MMDA general manager Procopio Lipana said at a press conference.

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“At the end of the procession, once we’ve arrived at Quiapo Church, along the way, it will already be clean,” he added.

‘Sabotage’

As to why there was a waste buildup, Lacuna said the city’s previous contractor did not collect trash on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, as the local government was set to turn over the service to another provider.

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“I want to ask for the patience and understanding of our constituents. No one wants us not to collect our waste, but the city government is working to address this temporary problem,” she said.

“We will make sure that today, all garbage will be collected,” she added.

Lacuna announced on Monday that MetroWaste Solid Waste Management Corp. and Philippine Ecology Systems Corp. won the P842.7-million contract to provide waste collection services for the city in 2025.

In her Facebook post announcing the winning bidders, she said there were efforts to “sabotage” the waste collection system, but she did not name anyone behind such efforts.

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“We’re not unaware that there are those operating to disrupt this system. We know who they are. Some operate on the sidelines, while others are like vampires who can walk in the sunlight,” she said.

“But, my directive is clear: We have zero tolerance for any form of sabotage, whether from inside or outside city hall,” she added.

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Further, Lacuna said the Manila Solid Waste Management Office was working to ensure garbage collection would be normal by the second week of January.

PEZA director generalfbjili, Tereso Panga said the Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. is expanding its 280-hectare West Cebu Estate in Balamban town by an additional 39 hectares.

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