The Cagayan de Oro Trade and Investment Promotions Center (Oro-TIPC) and the Regulatory Compliance Board (RCB) held a virtual briefing and consultation with local barangays, national and local government offices, malls, retailers, food establishments, and business organizations on Ordinance No. 13968-2020 otherwise known as the Clean-As-You-Go (CLAYGO) Ordinance.
The ordinance requires owners and/or managers of fast-food restaurants, carenderias, school and office canteens, and similar food establishments or public eating places to initiate and institutionalize measures and programs to encourage diners and customers to practice CLAYGO, such as:
- Install appropriate signs in their premises;
- Provide segregated waste bins for the purpose; and
- Provide space where diners can place restaurant ware (trays, water containers, cutlery, etc.)
In her Opening Remarks, Eileen E. San Juan, Local Economic and Investment Promotions Officer (LEIPO), expressed her gratitude to the attendees for taking time to engage with the city government in the matter.
“The more participatory we can make governance, the better,” LEIPO San Juan, said.
Atty. Jose Edgardo Uy, Chairperson of the Regulatory Compliance Board (RCB), briefed the attendees on the salient points of the ordinance, including the implementing rules and regulations (IRR), which the RCB had been mandated to draft.
He pointed out to the participants that the ordinance does not cover much detail, but that the IRR can fill these in, encouraging them to ask their questions and state their recommendations for the RCB’s consideration.
“We need your thoughts, suggestions, recommendations as our partners and stakeholders in governance,” Atty. Uy said. "Our discussion will enrich the implementation of the proposed IRR that the RCB will submit to the City Council for consideration," he continued.
In response to the request for signage and information material, Atty. Uy assured the participants that Oro-TIPC, RCB, the City Information Office, and the City-Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO) will be meeting to roll out a communications plan and materials.
The ordinance comes at a crucial time as the city, the nation, and the world marks a full year of living in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. Properly implemented, CLAYGO can reduce the touching of surfaces and support the unidirectional foot traffic scheme observed in food establishments.
Present at the virtual meeting were the heads of local barangays and members of their staff, the City Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office, the City Economic Enterprises Department (CEED), the City Health Office, the Departments of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Tourism (DOT), the ORO CHAMBER, the Cagayan de Oro Hotel and Restaurant Association (COHARA), the Misamis Oriental Retailers Association (MISORRA), as well as the management of local malls, and their tenant food establishments, and the local team of USAID’s Strengthening Urban Resilience through Growth with Equity (SURGE) project.
