Photos of the aftermath of the Masskara Festival celebrations showing many garbage-ridden areas in front of the capitol of Bacolod city in Negros Island are making rounds on social media on Monday.
Bacolod’s government center grounds was the venue for the closing ceremony of the month-long celebration and where the much-awaited fireworks display were held.
The venue in the City of Smiles was filled with litter when the events ended, as could be seen in the photos by some attendees.
Facebook user Cesar Bustamante Beloria Jr., a resident, aired his frustrations on his post.
Happy RA 9003 MassKara! Pwerte nga Disciplina!This is where people dont respect the law or their leaders.Next time,…
Posted by Cesar Bustamante Beloria Jr. on Sunday, October 28, 2018
“Next time, if there is a next time, leaders should be conscious of this as well. There are cities where people are afraid to do this. It is a reflection on how we run things,” Beloria said.
While some of the images were a bit blurry, trash strewn across the front of the local government office building are noticeable.
Sa Kaagahon,nag dul-ong sang bisita,kag nangita pag-kaon,kag ang nakita indi amo.Gina kaugtan kogid makita ang amo sini…
Posted by Yeliel Aleaxa on Saturday, October 27, 2018
These soon earned the ire of many people online. Others, however, pointed out that there may not be enough trash bins in the place.
Some also said that this amount of garbage is to be expected with the number of attendees in the Masskara festivities.
Local authorities will then hire street cleaners to make BGC grounds and the city itself clean again after.
The Masskara Festival this year started on October 6 and ended on October 28.
The street dance competition, wherein dancers from the villages participated in colorful costumes and masks, was the main event in the annual celebration.
Masskara, which is translated to “many faces,” started in 1980 following a tragic ferry accident that killed many Negrenses. The occasion was to help uplift the residents through different creative masks.
Keeping Bacolod clean
Last March, the city government received P23 million for the city’s greening program in 2018.
This was to fulfill a five-year plan to plant one million trees in the city called the Bacolod City Urban Development Greening Program.
At the same month, it also launched a contest that seeks out the cleanest village in the city as part of its clean and green campaign.
Filipinos are becoming more aware with the importance of protecting the environment following the closure of Boracay Island, one of the world’s best islands, last April because it had become a “cesspool” according to President Duterte.
Boracay officially opened last October 26.
