UNDERVIEW

Garbage in, garbage out
MIKE GUIMBATAN JR.

BAGUIO CITY – This summer capital’s fresh air was diluted with the stench of rotting garbage since July 14 but but local policy makers have yet to meet on July 28 to decide on short and long term solutions. Pure Garbage talk.

If P9 million will be spent for a month of garbage collection and disposal, that would be P108 million in a year. Last year, a private lot owner in Itogon, Benguet offered only P25 million for a ten hectare property. Smells fishy ***

When Irisan and Tuba folks barricaded the dumpsite, they were just implementing a mandate to close the landfill effective January 2007 which the city government failed to implement. Garbage knows no rules .

Purchase of relocation site and construction of an engineered landfill has been discussed by local officials in the pastyears but they never allocated a budget for land purchase. Grandstanding garbage.
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The city market and central business district will be first cleared of dump while segregation at source will be closely monitored. Propaganda garbage. The present measurement of good governance according to existing people's views is based on what they see and what they smell.
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Recycled leader -- One who keeps on promising and manages to still gain popular support despite limited performance.

Biodegradable leader - One who is on his last term who thinks more of his next career than the welfare of the people he serves.

Residual leader -- One who became a leader and maintains position not because of good performance but because of family background, religious or civic group endorsements.

Baguio leader – One who can clean all the streets of garbage, impose discipline among household and business establishments in managing wastes, has a recycling and compacting plant and constructs an engineered land fill in the city outskirts.

Baguioite - One who resides in the city, loves the city and knows how to properly dispose his garbage and convinces his neighbor to do the same.