HUNDREDS of Cebu City’s sanitation workers who are exposed to potential health hazards daily from collecting tons of garbage from households and business establishments do not use the minimum personal protective equipment (PPE) required by law.
This was revealed in a report released by the Commission on Audit (COA) on October 28, 2024. A copy of the 103-page report was submitted to the office of Cebu City acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia last September 30.
The audit was conducted by a team of seven state auditors and three engineers from the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers – Cebu Chapter led by audit team leader Arnel Patatag and audit team supervisor Jenny Dayola.
Under the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA No. 9003), sanitation personnel must wear protective gear, specifically gloves, masks, and safety boots, to minimize direct contact with potential hazards.
But based on the responses of garbage collectors employed by the city government’s Department of Public Services (DPS), the private hauler, and 42 barangays, the wearing of PPEs has been treated as merely optional.
According to replies from 173 DPS personnel, they wear gloves and boots but no masks, while 139 employees of the private hauling contractor said they report to work without gloves and masks.
The worst conditions were reported by 48 workers from 10 barangays who said they do the unpleasant job without any kind of protective gear. These were from the barangays of Bacayan, Bulacao, Budlaan, Capitol Site, Pung-ol Sibugay, Sambag II, San Nicolas Proper, Santa Cruz, Toong, and Zapatera.
In contrast, 239 sanitation workers from 32 other barangays told the audit team they regularly wear partial to full minimum PPE required. They hail from barangay Banilad, Binaliw, Bonbon, Carreta, Cogon Pardo, Day-as, Duljo Fatima, Ermita, Hipodromo, Kalubihan, Kamputhaw, Kasambagan, Lahug, Lusaran, Luz, Malubog, Pahina Central, Pamutan, Pasil, Pit-os, Quiot Pardo, San Antonio, San Roque, Santo Niño, Sawang Calero, Sinsin, Suba, T. Padilla, Taptap, and Tejero.
The rest of the city’s barangays did not respond to queries from the audit team.
“The requirement on personal protective equipment as set forth under Section 23 (a), Article 3 of RA No. 9003, was not fully observed by the City, thus potentially compromising the health and safety of the solid waste management personnel,” the audit team said.
In its reply, the Cebu City DPS said it distributed safety gear to its personnel as attested by documents showing procurement of 200 pairs of rubber boots and 1,000 pairs of latex gloves in 2023.
However, most personnel prefer to discard the PPE when working, saying they were “distractions and inconveniences” that hampered their movements.
In a communication to the audit group dated July 25, 2024, the DPS department head committed to observe the wearing of safety gear by its personnel.
In a separate finding, auditors revealed that none of the 173 DPS workers and 139 private hauler personnel underwent any kind of training or seminar relative to garbage collection and disposal even if this was a mandatory requirement under RA 9003.
“In the case of 47 barangays that responded to the audit team’s query, only five asserted that their solid waste personnel had undergone trainings,” the audit team said.
These consists of 25 personnel with nine coming from Barangay Luz, eight from Cogon Pardo, four from Santo Niño, three from San Roque, and one from Pahina Central.
“The absence of mandated garbage disposal-related trainings and seminars may possibly lead to mishandling and/or mismanagement of the collected wastes due to lack of technical know-how. Eventually, this deficiency may not just compromise the health and safety of the solid waste personnel, but also the health and safety of the public,” the COA added.
