Baguio trash crisis averted with P75-M

BAGUIO CITY – A potential garbage crisis in the city was averted after bickering city council members got their acts together and replenished the depleted funds for environment and sanitary services that includes the payment of garbage hauling and tipping fees with the return of the P75 million to the account where it belongs after being transferred to another account.

While the local legislative body did not act on the motion for reconsideration of Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan requesting that the council put back the P75 million that it transferred to the account of other maintenance and operating expenses to the account of environment and sanitary services, local legislators decided to replenish the P9 million that it earlier earmarked for environment and sanitary services with the return of the whole amount to its proper account to avert complications arising in the event the hauling of garbage to the sanitary landfill in Tarlac will stop.

The city council imposed certain conditions in the transfer of the P75 million to the proper account where it should belongs, particularly the submission to the local legislative body of the terms of reference for the hauling of the city’s residual waste to Tarlac, the submission by the City General Services Office of a monthly report on the status of the hauling and the funds allocated for the purpose and the assignment of city paid personnel to the transfer station of the hauler in Puguis, La Trinidad, Benguet and at the sanitary landfill in Tarlac for cross checking and monitoring purposes to ensure that the volume of garbage being hauled and dumped will tally.

Earlier, the local government allotted P85 million in the city’s annual budget for environment and sanitary services, inclusive of garbage hauling and payment of tipping fees, for this year but the local legislative body transferred some P75 million from said account to other maintenance and operating expenses of the City General Services Office to compel submission of the hauling contract to the council for confirmation.

Domogan partially vetoed the said transfer, saying act of the local legislative body was in violation of existing circulars from the Commission on Audit that defines environment and sanitary services to include garbage hauling and payment of tipping fees making the account specific, thus, the contract entered into by the local government and the hauler will no longer be submitted to the council for confirmation.

Instead of heeding the veto as it is in line with existing issuances, rules and regulations, the city council decided to override the partial veto, insisting that the hauling contract should be submitted to the local legislative body for confirmation because the account where the funds had been placed have become generic.

The P9 million earlier earmarked by the local legislative body to fund the hauling of the city’s residual waste and payment of tipping fees for two months was supposed to be depleted last Thursday that could have resulted to the stoppage of garbage hauling.

The local legislative body reminded the concerned departments of the city to comply with the conditions of the transfer of the funds to the account where it rightfully belongs. -- Dexter A. See with a report from Karen Valle Copa