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.
***
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.
***
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
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