Baguio sets P160-M for garbage solution

GROUND ZERO -- This is what the Baguio public market block 3 looks like after stalls were demolished last week by the city government to start development of the area. -- Redjie Melvic Cawis

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY — The city government here is set to spend more than P160 million for this year to immediately put an end to solid waste management problems being experienced by local residents and bring back the cleanliness and beauty that earned the recognition for this city the previous years.

City Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said the funds, which were earlier earmarked for environmental protection, will be realigned for a better purpose, particularly the purchase of at least 10 brand new garbage trucks that are compliant with the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological solid Waste Management Act, and the importation of two 24-ton composting machines from Japan to significantly solve the garbage problem in the city.

The local government and volunteers, are facilitating the composting of at least eight tons of garbage in the Loakan village area using the bamboo method as well as in Irisan using the cellophane or “toron” method.

Once all the technologies will be in place coupled with the presence of more garbage trucks, Domogan said the local government will surely be able to abandon the hauling of biodegradable waste to the Capas, Tarlac engineered sanitary landfill to prevent the eventual depletion of city funds.

Because of the sudden closure of the 5.2-hectare Irisan open dumpsite when irate residents barricaded the same over two years ago, the previous city administration was forced to resort to the hauling of tons of generated garbage in the city to the sanitary landfill in Tarlac that already resulted in over P200 million of expenditures thereby virtually depleting available local funds.

According to Domogan, the city needs to embark on a multi-dimensional approach rather than concentrate on one type of approach to solve the garbage problem so that there will be appropriate alternatives once the priority initiative will fail in the coming days.

Domogan hailed local residents and tourists for their utmost cooperation in the implementation of temporary stop gap measures to avert the scattering of garbage all over the city.