P40 Million Budget awaits LGUs’ Solid Waste Management Projects

Municipal and city mayors in Cebu vow to come up with the most efficient plan to best utilize the P40 million fund allocated by the Provincial Government for solid waste management programs.

This after the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) called out the attention of several local government units in Cebu that reportedly are not managing their waste properly.

Engr. Eligio Ildefonso, executive director of NSWMC, did not name the respondent LGUs, but offered to provide the support needed by those who are behind on their waste management projects.

“I am not here to file complaint at the Ombudsman on more than 20 Cebu LGUs who are not managing their waste properly, but I am here to help you,” said Ildefonso during the 4th Quarter Meeting of the Cebu Provincial Solid Waste Management Board last Friday, Oct 13.

He said that the mayors of these 20 LGUs are liable since they are not complying with the provisions of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

Cebu has 51 LGUs, composed of 44 towns and seven component cities.

The main agenda during the Solid Waste Management Board meeting was on how to properly utilize the P40 million fund for solid waste management for the whole province.

Gov. Hilario P. Davide III, who presided the meeting, told the mayors that the Provincial Board members already agreed in principle to release the P40 million funding for waste management to the LGUs.

PB will pass the measure during their regular session this week, which was moved from Monday to Wednesday, October 18.

In a separate meeting last Friday afternoon at the Cebu League of Municipalities in the Philippines (LMP), the mayors agreed to come up with a resolution on how they will utilize the P40 million fund from the Office of the Governor.

New machineries

NSWMC’s Ildefonso said there are new machineries that convert waste materials into building blocks, fertilizers or transform them into energy and provide electricity.

He said one of these fabricators of waste processing equipment, contracted by his commission to supply cities surrounding Manila Bay, is in fact based in Lapu-Lapu City.

He even cited Tuburan Mayor Democrito Diamante who, after complying with the law, is now out of the list of Cebu LGUs liable for violating RA 9003.

For his part, Diamante showed to the other officials the system his town has been implementing in disposing waste.

“I was one of those called to sign a commitment to close my landfill in a month. In six months Environment Management Bureau audited me and they found out I complied with the law so I’m out of the list,” Diamante proudly told the mayors.

On the other hand, Ildefonso also said that there are 15 Cebu LGUs that already submitted their 10-year Solid Waste Management Plan. But not all came up with a plan to put up a sanitary landfill since the cost of one is prohibitive for a town.

He did not name the 15 LGUs, but recommended on clustering LGUs so that a sanitary landfill can be put up for every district.

“District Representative can help and members of the district may contribute to the funding,” he said, explaining that sanitary landfills accommodate only residual waste, which is only 25 percent of total waste generated.

Around 50 percent of waste generated is biodegradable and can be used as fertilizer, and the other 25 percent can be reused or recycled.

At the moment, he said temporary containment areas for residual waste are allowed until a permanent sanitary landfill is established.

Ildefonso also discussed another option in waste disposal which is the waste-to-energy system, wherein the entire volume of waste is converted into energy and no sanitary landfill is needed.

A few solid waste management companies offering the waste-to-energy service were part of the Solid Waste Management Board meeting to present to the LGUs their projects.

FDR-IRRMI, based in Naga City, collects 130 tons of organic waste a day and converts it to 760 kilowatt of power per hour. LGUs pay P750 per ton of waste collected for the tipping fee.

Also, C & G Environmental Management Co. showed how their company in Bulacan collects and processes solid wastes.

A third company, Suki Trading Corporation, is set to supply P300 million worth of waste processing system in LGUs surrounding the Manila Bay.

Ildefonso said the national government will pay for the waste processing system to be distributed to LGUs to reduce pollution around the Manila Bay, and Suki is one of the fabricators.

He urged the mayors to deal directly with Suki to cut cost and avoid middle men.

Mayor Diamante is one of those served by Suki in processing his town’s generated wastes.

cebu.gov.ph