Angeles City trash woes now solved, says mayor

ANGELES CITY, Pampanga— A garbage problem, 20,000 tons heavy, ended last week with the transfer of the trash that had accumulated since the term of the previous mayor to the sanitary landfill in Montalban, Rizal.

“We have already removed the tons of wastes at the MRF (Material Recovery Facility) and this is just a manifestation of our strong commitment to solve the garbage problem which we inherited from the (former Mayor Francis) Nepomuceno administration,” said Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan.

On Pamintuan’s cue, the city’s Environmental Management Service completed May 24 the removal of the garbage that had piled up and become a nuisance to residents of Barangay Pampang, here for many years.

The EMS reported it made a total of 1,117 hauling trips from the MRF to the sanitary landfill in Montalban from April 2 to May 24.

The City Environmental and Natural Resources Office lauded the accomplishment.

During the summit on solid waste management held earlier this month, Pamintuan vowed to clear the MRF of garbage so as to safeguard the health of nearby residents, patients of the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center (formerly Ospital ning Angeles), and the consumers and traders at the Pampanga Public Market.

The mayor reiterated his initiative in taking responsibility of the city’s garbage problem as he spearheaded the crusade against indiscriminate waste disposal.

At the same time, Pamintuan exhorted all barangay officials to work together to strictly implement Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act in their respective villages.

He also urged them to allot a portion of their respective budget to fund their solid waste management program focused on segregation of waste at source.

Pamintuan said segregation should start at the households by using separate trash cans for recyclables and non-recyclables.

At the same interview, Pamintuan bared plans of relocating the said garbage transfer station to another area in the city.