Legal action mulled vs Protech; city tries to cut trash haul cost

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – With plans for the establishment of an engineered sanitary landfill (ESL) just beginning to take off, the city government struggles to cope with the spiraling cost of shipping out its wastes as it continues to look for remedies to cut down on hauling expenses.

            

General Services Officer and waste management head Romeo Concio said they have been drumming up the campaign for the reduction of wastes in the barangays where he said at least seven barangays have passed up on the collection of biodegradables after finding ways to manage these on their own.  He expressed hope that more barangays will follow suit as reduced wastes would mean less expense.

  

Concio also said they are currently negotiating for the use of nearby ESL facilities like in Urdaneta City which will enable the city to save on transport cost.  Concio said the city will realize considerable savings if the deal materializes.

            

Hauling remains as the only option for the city government at present even as the city continues to work on alternative solutions like the two new waste technologies and the ESL proposals.

            

But city officials have lamented on how the prohibitive cost of hauling had taken toll on the city’s financial resources.

            

Concio said the city may have to cough up a total of P84 million for hauling, tipping and miscellaneous expenses for this year.

            

He said that since December last year, Pro Tech Machinery Corporation (Pro Tech) has not been complying with its responsibility to haul out the city’s residual wastes at its expense which was part of the terms of its contract with the city for the purchase of the two Environmental Recycling System (ERS)  machines.

           

 Mayor Mauricio Domogan in a letter dated June 8 had ordered Pro Tech vice president Luis Lu Jr. to start hauling all the residuals by virtue of the contract and in accordance with his admission in his testimony before the city council that he is bound to haul out all residual wastes of the city.

            

But Lu has not responded, according to Concio, even to his successive requests for a meeting.

            

This prompted the city council last Monday to ask the city legal office to review the contract with Pro Tech to determine the feasibility of issuing a demand letter to the company and eventually take legal action as warranted for possible breach of contract.

            

The city’s running accounts for hauling and tipping has reached approximately P40 million from January to June this year, it was found out during the city council meeting last Monday.

            

The Local Finance Committee scrounged approximately P27 million from project savings and personnel services which will be enough only to pay accounts until February.  The said amount is still being scrutinized by the city council for reversion.

            

Concio informed that the two ERS machines are operating alternately while the city awaits the arrival of the new boiler procured by Pro Tech to replace the damaged one.

            

The body also asked Concio to submit data on the volume of garbage fed to the ERS machines and hauled out from January to July this year.

            

Apart from these, Concio will have to submit documents on past performance report and present status of the solid waste management program and future plans and directions including possible amendments to the ten-year solid waste management plan within two weeks.