Ifugao town eco-park shows way to use, dispose garbage

By Daniel B. Codamon

KIANGAN, Ifugao -- The pilot Ecological Park located at Barangay Bolog of this town is now completed and ready to serve its purpose.

The project costing P314, 500.00 is a joint endeavor between the barangay constituents, the personnel of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) of the Department of Education and their learners and the municipal government of Kiangan through its Ecological Solid Waste Management Program (ESWMP) fund.

                The eco park  is riprapped with bottle bricks, motor and jeepney tires and beautified with plastic vases, vases made of brown and white papers and hanging plants.

Seats out of drums and water containers are established under the trees or shaded areas for anyone to feel the freshness and beauty of nature.

This collective effort among the different stakeholders is designed to pioneer the Eco-park as the community show-window in the implementation of the ESWMP that will motivate not only Barangay Bolog but also adjacent barangays to replicate the project.

The park will  also intensify the implementation of the ESWMP activities in response to the pursuit of sustainable development through proper waste segregation, collection, transport, storage, treatment and disposal of solid waste through the formulation and adoption of best practices in solid waste management.

                It is also intended to promote best practices in solid waste management activities in the barangay, broaden the knowledge and understanding of the residents, school personnel and barangay officials in proper waste management and encourage resource conservation, recovery to promote greater public participation.

This way they will be able to reduce, re-use, recover and recycle items in order to help solve the garbage problem of the community, protect and preserve the environment to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Municipal ESWMP focal person Ernesto Baglan and ALS facilitator Wilma Pumihic said the eco park will also present best practices in waste diversion among other best practices possible and a source of information to strengthen solid waste management in the area as the school, municipal and barangay local government units will ensure its maintenance and improvement through the years especially during the Brigada Eskwela activity  for the  benefit of all stakeholders.