TACLOBAN CITY – The city council here has recently approved the privatization of garbage collection and city slaughterhouse operation to avert further financial loses of the city government.
City administrator Jimjim Yaokasin said in an interview that the privatization of such services has been the trend in major cities of the country.
Based on their inventory and studies, the city government for several years now has been experiencing deficit in slaughterhouse operation, spending around P5 million every year but collecting fees amounting to only P1.9 million. Some P18 million per year has been allotted by the city government of Tacloban for garbage collection.
The city administrator said that the privatization move was proposed by Mayor Alfredo “Bejo” Romualdez in a bid to gain income for the city government.
Yaokasin said that the city government is set to come out with an announcement that these two public utility entities are now open to any private individual or businessmen who want to handle the operation of the slaughterhouse and the garbage collection.
“We will be doing massive public information that the city government is now offering the management of the slaughterhouse and garbage collection to private individuals ,’ he said.
He revealed that the city government is also eying the astrodome for privatization once its construction is completed. But he denied that the city public city market and the bus terminal would be privatized.
