A Suitable Ecological Solid Waste Management System for Calbayog

Mayor Mel Senen S. Sarmiento (R) with Sagay City Mayor Alfredo Marañon Jr.

JICA Resident Representative Shozoo Matsuura, DENR Undersecretary for Planning, Policy, Research and Logistic Affairs Demetrio L. Ignacio, Jr., National Solid Waste Management Commission Executive Director Atty. Zoilo L. Anden, Jr.

Sagay City Mayor Alfredo G. Marañon, Jr., Mayor Mel Senen S. Sarmiento, JICA Resident Representative Shozoo Matsuura, DENR Usec Demetrio L. Ignacio, Jr., National Solid Waste Management Commission Executive Director Atty. Zoilo L. Anden, Jr., JICA Philipppines Minnie M. Dacanay and Makoto Iwase.




(Here's a report provided to me by Ike Macasa of the Samar Sunday Star)


Calbayog City - A Suitable Ecological Solid Waste Management System will soon be established here along with Sagay and Davao cities chosen by the Japanese government as high priority cities in the country.

Calbayog's Solid Waste Management Office Chief Engr. Gonzaga recently announced in a press conference that on the third or fourth quarter of this year, the Technical Cooperating Project Team is set to conduct a technical study and planning which, at the same time, signals the start of the project. Gonzaga said Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) Project Agreement was signed early this year. The signing was made at the DENR conference room. (please see pictures above)

Based on the document furnished by the CSWMO Chief, approximately 25 million pesos is allocated for the project depending on the output of the project technical study group and the target duration is three years.

As reflected in the Master Plan, the study is geared to strengthen the capability of the LGU on solid waste management planning, to improve the solid waste diversion system and the final disposal system.

The assistance will cover feasibility study on Solid Waste Management including preliminary design and technical study, formulation of master plan, capability building for the executing organization, solid waste management monitoring, computerization, weigh bridge, design of sanitary landfill, guidance and training on sanitary landfill method and operation and supervision of sanitary landfill construction work.

It was explained during JICA’s visit here that the cost of construction of the sanitary landfill shall be borne by the LGU and the financial scheme that will be adopted to finance the construction of the facility should be a two-step loan facility of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) under a soft loan.

The LGU will likewise provide, secure or purchase the landfill site that should be suitable in accordance with the site selection requirement criteria of RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 which prohibits the operation of open dumpsites for the disposal of solid wastes.

JICA has already conducted ocular inspections of the present dumpsite and the proposed sanitary landfill.

The results of the waste amount and characterization survey conducted by JICA’s consultants last January 2007 here revealed that the city generates a total of 93.611 tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) daily comprising 69,237kgs of residential waste, 2,112kgs commercial waste from restaurants, 18,470kgs commercial wastes from other shops, 53kgs institutional waste from government offices, 1,757kgs from schools, 198kgs from roads with street sweeping activities only and 1,784kgs from the market stalls.

The study also revealed the three categories of waste composition with high percentages are the kitchen waste with 22.76 per cent, followed by yard waste or wood with 21.77 per cent, and paper with 15.73 per cent.

“In our latest waste characterization conducted by the JICA’s contractor , almost 12 per cent guihapon an special waste. An special waste an basura nga di na nagagamitan asya na unta iton an basura an maulpot sa dumpsite. An tinatawag nga waste diversion nga kon pwede kunta nga in household level sa generation pala mag-iban na an basura. Sa pagpalit ta pala we have to take it a point nga an aton napapalit diri magiging basura naton unina…that’s reduction,” the CSMO chief said.

“We have 3 Rs --reduce, re-use and recycle. Mahimo ngani iton san aton mga household level, ma-reduce an basura nga mahingadto sa aton dumpsite,” he added.

As of now, garbage collection in the city is being done by a private contractor taking garbage from the residents during designated collection period for each area.

Gonzaga further said that section 27 of the law on waste diversion requires LGUs to reduce garbage at 25 per cent only three years after the approval of RA 9003 but the city had, so far, obtained 32 per cent reduction rate. He added that the garbage problem is not the sole responsibility of the government but is also everybody’s concern.

In 1993 the city was named as the cleanest in the region and one of the top finalists in the national level. Its two barangays also received awards. Brgy. Panoypoy was a National Silver Awardee in 2003-4004 Search for Model Barangay under the Solid Waste Management category by the National Solid Waste Management Commission while Brgy. Manguinoo won a Special Citation for Multiple Materials Recovery Facility and Coastal Clean-up Practices.