Naga’s solid waste mgt plan gets nod

CEBU, Philippines – Naga City in Cebu is reportedly the only local government unit in Central Visayas with an approved Solid Waste Management plan since the implementation Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

Naga City's 10-year SWM plan has been approved by the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC). But the city never knew this until December last year.

Naga's SWM plan was approved on October 22, 2010. The notice was sent to the city only last December 3, 2015, about one year from the expiration of its SWM plan next year.

Following the report, the Cebu provincial government has called on the towns and component cities to be serious in the implementation of the environmental law.

In Cebu Province, 11 LGUs have so far failed to submit their respective SWM plans.

Elmer Malaga, SWM in-charge of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources, attributed LGUs' failure to submit SWM plans to the lack of manpower and absence of Waste Analysis and Characterization Study (WACS).

"Most of their solid waste coordinators are multi-tasking and they do not have relevant data to base their WACS on," Malaga said during the technical working group of the Capitol's Solid Waste Management Board held a consultative meeting with the LGUs on January 11 at the University of Cebu-Mambaling Campus.

Another requirement set by law is the creation of sanitary landfill. Open or controlled dump sites are no longer allowed.

Malaga also said that during the League of the Municipalities of the Philippines assembly, the province came up with a plan to enter into an agreement with the mayors on how to download the P515,000 financial assistance which the provincial government has earlier pledged to the towns and cities to upgrade their waste facilities.

The said amount will be used to build their material recovery facilities, which is one component of their SWM plans.

Malaga added that the Capitol is willing to provide them technical assistance although they, too, only have limited personnel.

Alegria Mayor Verna Magallon, for her part, proposed that a cluster of towns be formed in the south instead explaining that it is not feasible for Alegria to have a landfill on its own.

She also requested that the compliance of RA 9003 be brought up again in LMP- Cebu Chapter assembly on January 22.

The province is also mandated to submit its own SWM plan but it couldn't proceed without the LGUs' disposal plans.

Malaga disclosed that NSWMC earlier sent a letter to the LGUs of Argao, Bogo City, and Daanbantayan to submit their SWM plans, otherwise, they will be charged under RA 9003 and RA 7160 or the Local Government Code of the Philippines

The towns of Argao and Daanbantayan already submitted their SWM plans while Bogo City was given deadline to submit its plan on or before March 31. (FREEMAN)