Ribbon-cutting to open the Calbayog Pilot MRF. Mayor Mel Sarmiento as he led the ribbon-cutting during the inauguration of the Calbayog Pilot MRF. In photo (r-l) Vice Mayor Ronald Aquino, JICA Philippine Office Representative Makoto Iwashi, Matuguinao Mayor Carlos De La Cruz, Sta. Margrita Mayor Fred Serrano, Councilors Ver Porlares, Sonny Salurio and Noel Sermense and JICA Project Team Leader Takashi Goto. (Photo by Henry Puyat) As I have mentioned in an earlier blogpost, the Calbayog Pilot Materials Recovery Facility was inaugurated last Tuesday. Let me give you the report of DYOG's Eleen Lim.
JICA HANDS OVER PILOT MRF TO CALBAYOG CITY
(A compliance to an unfunded mandate, says Mayor Sarmiento)
Calbayog City, March 10, 2009/ It was almost like a hopeless case for the City of Calbayog and for other Local Government Units in the country: Establishment of a multi-million pesos sanitary landfill and Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) in every LGU in compliance to Solid Waste Management Act or RA 9003, or face administrative and criminal sanctions.
But then there’s always the Japan International Cooperating Agency to turn to. At least for the City of Calbayog.
On March 10, 2009, JICA thru its representatives Makoto Iwase and Takashi Goto handed–over 2.9 million pesos worth of MRF located in Brgy. Payahan, this city. The facility consists of a building, a shredding machine, rotating composter, a platform scale dial and a water jet cleaner. Built for almost 4 months, the facility will serve as the Central Composting Facility for biodegradable wastes from the backyards or gardens, and the public market, and food wastes from limited households. Said wastes will then be processed into soil conditioner or organic fertilizer.
And as if the MRF is not enough, the JICA also turned over a portable water quality analysis meter, and a 1 million pesos worth of equipment to be used for Information and Education Campaign regarding waste segregation such as video recorders, digital camera, LCD, laptop and printer. And for the “campaigners” to get moving: a Mitsubishi Montero Sports Car worth almost 2 million pesos.
During the simple inauguration and hand-over ceremonies, Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento said that when Congress passed the Solid Waste Management Act, there was no provision as to the funding of its implementation, leaving the LGU’s to fund the program on its own initiative. Congress did not even consider that the agency tasked to implement the law which is the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, lacks the technical capability and knowledge. Moreover, according the mayor, LGUs are mandated to implement the law within four years after its approval or face sanctions.
Mayor Sarmiento profusely thanked the JICA People for coming to their rescue.
From the 120 cities nation wide, JICA chose 3- Sagay City in Negros, Davao City in Mindanao and Calbayog City as pilot cities where they provided technical training for Ecological Solid Waste Management. As a collateral assistance to the establishment of MRF, three employees of the City, including Vice Mayor Ronald Aquino who sits as the chair of the City Solid Waste Management Board, were sent to Japan by the JICA to study the different Solid Waste Management Programs of the different cities which became successful in achieving its goal of reducing waste as a means to reduce the adverse impact of global warming and climate change.
JICA also took the initiative of providing the technical assistance, including research and geographical studies on the proposed site for the 50-million pesos sanitary landfill to be constructed sometime this year. The landfill, according to Mayor Sarmiento, can also serve the neighboring municipalities who cannot afford to put up their own sanitary dumpsites, but must put up their own MRF’s.
The MRF will serve as the “frontliner” for the landfill. From the barangay level, the household wastes are segregated into reusable, recyclable, residual or non-biodegradable, and biodegradable. The latter goes to the MRF, while only the residual wastes will go to the landfill. The city’s MRF will also serve as the model for other MRF that will be put up in other barangays in the city and the nearby municipalities.
Municipalities in the first district of Samar sent representatives, most of them the vice mayors, to the Ecological Solid Waste Management Technical Training conducted right after the said hand-over ceremonies. (Eleen Lim)
JICA HANDS OVER PILOT MRF TO CALBAYOG CITY
(A compliance to an unfunded mandate, says Mayor Sarmiento)
Calbayog City, March 10, 2009/ It was almost like a hopeless case for the City of Calbayog and for other Local Government Units in the country: Establishment of a multi-million pesos sanitary landfill and Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) in every LGU in compliance to Solid Waste Management Act or RA 9003, or face administrative and criminal sanctions.
But then there’s always the Japan International Cooperating Agency to turn to. At least for the City of Calbayog.
On March 10, 2009, JICA thru its representatives Makoto Iwase and Takashi Goto handed–over 2.9 million pesos worth of MRF located in Brgy. Payahan, this city. The facility consists of a building, a shredding machine, rotating composter, a platform scale dial and a water jet cleaner. Built for almost 4 months, the facility will serve as the Central Composting Facility for biodegradable wastes from the backyards or gardens, and the public market, and food wastes from limited households. Said wastes will then be processed into soil conditioner or organic fertilizer.
And as if the MRF is not enough, the JICA also turned over a portable water quality analysis meter, and a 1 million pesos worth of equipment to be used for Information and Education Campaign regarding waste segregation such as video recorders, digital camera, LCD, laptop and printer. And for the “campaigners” to get moving: a Mitsubishi Montero Sports Car worth almost 2 million pesos.
During the simple inauguration and hand-over ceremonies, Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento said that when Congress passed the Solid Waste Management Act, there was no provision as to the funding of its implementation, leaving the LGU’s to fund the program on its own initiative. Congress did not even consider that the agency tasked to implement the law which is the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, lacks the technical capability and knowledge. Moreover, according the mayor, LGUs are mandated to implement the law within four years after its approval or face sanctions.
Mayor Sarmiento profusely thanked the JICA People for coming to their rescue.
From the 120 cities nation wide, JICA chose 3- Sagay City in Negros, Davao City in Mindanao and Calbayog City as pilot cities where they provided technical training for Ecological Solid Waste Management. As a collateral assistance to the establishment of MRF, three employees of the City, including Vice Mayor Ronald Aquino who sits as the chair of the City Solid Waste Management Board, were sent to Japan by the JICA to study the different Solid Waste Management Programs of the different cities which became successful in achieving its goal of reducing waste as a means to reduce the adverse impact of global warming and climate change.
JICA also took the initiative of providing the technical assistance, including research and geographical studies on the proposed site for the 50-million pesos sanitary landfill to be constructed sometime this year. The landfill, according to Mayor Sarmiento, can also serve the neighboring municipalities who cannot afford to put up their own sanitary dumpsites, but must put up their own MRF’s.
The MRF will serve as the “frontliner” for the landfill. From the barangay level, the household wastes are segregated into reusable, recyclable, residual or non-biodegradable, and biodegradable. The latter goes to the MRF, while only the residual wastes will go to the landfill. The city’s MRF will also serve as the model for other MRF that will be put up in other barangays in the city and the nearby municipalities.
Municipalities in the first district of Samar sent representatives, most of them the vice mayors, to the Ecological Solid Waste Management Technical Training conducted right after the said hand-over ceremonies. (Eleen Lim)
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