36 tons of garbage hauled after INC rally

Cleanup operations continued on Thursday after thousands of members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) vacated their two-day rally site along EDSA, with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) hauling more than 36 metric tons of garbage while the Quezon City government collected at least three truckloads of waste.

In a statement, the MMDA said its Metro Parkways Clearing Group (MPCG) immediately launched clearing operations along EDSA White Plains in Quezon City to restore cleanliness, order and safety after the rally.
The agency said its personnel repositioned concrete barriers, cleared debris and hauled away garbage left at the site.

According to the MMDA, the operation yielded 103.6 cubic meters of waste, equivalent to 36.585 metric tons of garbage.

Meanwhile, the Quezon City Department of Sanitation and Cleanup Works (DSQC) said sanitation workers began cleaning the area on Wednesday night and continued through Thursday morning.

"More or less mga tatlo o higit pa na truck ang naano namin simula kagabi. Simula nung pag-alis ng mga kapatid na INC tuloy-tuloy ang clean up hanggang ngayong umaga," DSQC official Bowie Cruz said.

Cruz said most of the waste consisted of empty plastic bottles, used food containers and other disposable packaging left behind by rally participants.

The cleanup followed the conclusion of the INC gathering, which drew thousands of members to EDSA beginning Tuesday in support of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, who will be facing plunder charges from the Office of the Ombudsman.

After the Quezon City government declined to extend the permit for the assembly along EDSA, organizers moved their activities to Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila on Thursday.