The Manila city government on Wednesday said it has collected a total of 148 truckloads of garbage during the celebration of the feast of the Black Nazarene.
“The Manila city government as of 8 a,m. today, Jan 10, DPS (Department of Public Services) cleaned and gathered 407 metric tons of garbage, equivalent to 148 truckloads,” Princess Abante, spokesperson of Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, said in a statement.
She added that this amount of garbage was collected “from all the activities from Jan. 6 to 10.”
As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, the total garbage collected was 128 metric tons or equivalent to 46 truckloads.
The garbage collected on Jan. 6 was at 28 MT or 12 truckloads; Jan. 7, 34 MT or 14 truckloads; and Jan. 8 or 61 MT, 19 truckloads.
The Traslacion or the grand procession of the image of the Black Nazarene ended after almost 15 hours, so far the fastest time recorded in recent years.
The procession, attended by 6.5 million devotees, according to the Quiapo Church Command Center started from the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta and ended at the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene along Quezon Boulevard in Manila.
The annual event was held after a three-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A litter-free observance of the “Traslacion” remains elusive, the EcoWaste Coalition meanwhile said.
Ochie Tolentino, Zero Waste Campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition, said however that the group remains optimistic that there will be a waste-free “Traslacion” in the future.
In Rizal Park, venue for the traditional “Pahalik,” vigil and “Misa Mayor,” the DPS, MMDA and volunteers from the EcoWaste Coalition and the Samahan ng mga Mangangalakal sa Capulong from Tondo, Manila found the parade grounds and adjacent streets littered with garbage despite the park’s “clean as you go” policy.
An ugly carpet of trash came into view soon after the newly-designed “andas” for the revered image of the Black Nazarene left the Quirino Grandstand for the massive procession. Among the most discarded items found were single-use plastic bags, bottles, cups, cutlery and plates, including non-biodegradable polystyrene food containers, fast-food paper packaging, leftovers, soiled diapers, improvised sleeping materials, cigarette butts and disposable vapes (the park has “no smoking/vaping” policy).
The streets of Quiapo, the center of the feast, were littered with lots of PET water bottles, plastic and paper food containers, and food waste. DPS personnel untiringly picked up after the devotees, especially at the tail end of the long procession.
Aside from recognizing the hard work of government personnel, the Green Brigade Team of Quiapo Church and volunteers from the private sector, the EcoWaste Coalition also cited the role of waste pickers, many of them unorganized, who picked up discarded PET bottles to sell to junk shops.