57 Baguio barangays can accommodate road parking

CITY HALL BEAT

Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – At least 57 barangays can accommodate on-street or off-street parking, according to the initial audit report conducted by the City Engineering Office.

CEO traffic engineer Richard Lardizabal reported to the management vommittee led by Mayor Benjamin Magalong Dec. 10 that out of the 128 barangays in the city, 104 have either been validated or audited for parking viability.

The 57 barangays were affirmed to have ample spaces to provide parking slots either along their roads or their basketball courts.

The remaining 24 barangays will be evaluated in the ongoing audit recently ordered by the mayor to systematize the parking scheme of all barangays in the city.

Lardizabal said they evaluated whether the streets were two-way or one-way streets with roadside parking and can still allow emergency vehicles to pass.

Their widths were also measured to determine if they can allow parking with the standard clearance measurements of three meters for one-way and 5.7 to six meters for two-way streets.

Another consideration was whether the streets were busy thoroughfares or not.

The audit report will be the city’s basis in approving barangay resolutions designating parking slots within their jurisdictions.

The mayor earlier assured that the city will continue to allow the designation of appropriate stretches for parking particularly those covered by barangay ordinances only if these parked vehicles will not impede the flow of traffic.

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Mayor Magalong urged barangays in the city to take his call to implement their own composting methods seriously to avert the possibility of another garbage crisis in the city.

The mayor made the call after General Services Officer Eugene Buyucan reported to the Management Committee Dec. 10 that only 19 of the city’s 128 barangays have actively been composting their biodegradable wastes despite the city’s repeated appeal.

The mayor expressed concern that the failure of the barangays to manage their own biodegradable refuse might result to the piling up of the decomposable garbage.

He also noted operational problems currently being encountered by the private firm overseeing the Environmental Recycling System machines at the Irisan controlled dump facility which he said might exacerbate the situation even as he directed the GSO to extend all the assistance needed to ensure their continued operation.  

The city had stopped collecting this type of waste and instead encouraged households and business establishments to practice segregation and backyard composting to lessen the biodegradable load of the ERS facility.

At present the ERS machines only process decomposable refuse from the city market at nine tons a day.

The city’s total biodegradable output is 35 tons daily.

Buyucan said managing their own wastes is an obligation of the public as per the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 and the city’s Environment Code.

The GSO is currently conducting information campaign on composting methods and giving assistance to barangays and residents to set up their own composting stations.

Buyucan said a simple composting method would only require any container, big or medium-sized and can be plastic, wood or cement where biodegradable wastes can be stored.

“Just cover the refuse with small amount of soil for drying and repeat the process.  The compost can be used in one to two months for their backyard garden,” he said.

Other methods such as the use of African night crawlers can also be employed.

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Mayor Magalong lauded residents for contributing to the city government’s cleanliness drive by mounting their own clean-up activities or by simply abiding by the city’s anti-littering ordinance.

“We have been aiming for change – in mindset, in character and in deed.  At this point, we can say that in certain aspects, change has dawned upon us particularly in the aspect of keeping our city clean,” the mayor said.

“We say thank you to the various companies, schools, organizations and other groups for volunteering to conduct clean-up drives as well as the residents and visitors for taking into heart our call to keep our city clean by not littering and by observing proper waste disposal during city activities.  We hope that we all can continue to imbibe discipline and good values in all our undertakings,” the mayor added.

Since taking over as chief executive, the mayor inspired various groups to do their part in the cleanliness campaign with his call for the revitalization of the city’s environment as the top priority in the 15-point core agenda.

The City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) said that since June, a number of organizations coordinated their clean-up drives in parks, waterways and other areas with their office.

There were those undertaking their clean-up programs on their own volition. 

The mayor through Executive Order 38-2019 issued last August 1, set the fourth Saturday of every month as citywide clean-up day.

He urged residents to sustain the activity in their barangays and homes. – Aileen P. Refuerzo