Department of Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma has commended Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso for the swift cleanup of tons of garbage that had accumulated along Mel Lopez Boulevard.

Laguesma, whose agency is based in Intramuros, Manila, noted that he regularly passed by “mountains of trash” on his daily commute. However, less than a week after Domagoso returned to City Hall, the garbage was gone, hauled away as part of the city’s cleanup operations.

“I just want to commend you for the garbage on Mel Lopez Boulevard. That’s my route every day, Mayor. It was always a mountain; not a day passed that I didn’t see garbage there,” Laguesma told Domagoso during their meeting on Friday. “Then now, in one week’s time, it’s all gone. I said, I pray this continues, because what you are doing is good.”

Domagoso assured the Labor secretary that the city government will sustain its cleanup efforts, stressing that Manila residents and visitors deserve better governance.

“It will continue. We guarantee our people and those who pass by and come in our city, that what we have experienced in the past will never happen again,” Domagoso said.

The mayor acknowledged that the task is challenging due to limited resources but vowed to “move heaven and earth” to maintain cleanliness and order in the capital.

Domagoso added that the city government is applying the “broken window” concept, emphasizing that a clean and orderly environment discourages littering and other violations.

“When you fix something somewhere, a space, nobody wanted to mess it up, but when there is mess, it invites mess also. Because if one person litters, they will think, ‘Oh, it’s allowed,’” said the mayor.