A better solution and alternative…hopefully

THE recent announcement of City Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan that his office is seriously considering the waste to energy option as a more suitable solution to the waste problem of the City signals two things. The first is that the City Government is dead serious in finding a permanent solution to the City’s garbage woes and is not inclined to stop until it finds one. This is of course urgent and of a necessity that requires the entire cooperation of everyone if there is any likelihood that it will succeed. Failure is not an option and to simply give up would mean a dirty and chaotic environment for the present and succeeding generations of people in the City.

The second, and which may be a little problematic, is the City’s resigned acceptance that its partner, Protech Machinery Corporation, has failed dismally to live up to its promise of providing a solution to the garbage problem. Problematic because Protech does not yet seem to realize the gravity of its shortcomings and actually insists that it was the City who failed to meet its obligations as provided for in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) inked for the purpose. In the event that Protech will deny falling short on its obligations then the City might be constrained to pursue various legal avenues to protect its interests. Of course it goes without saying that Protech may also do that, go the courts to seek redress, but no one is fooled, more so the City Government which has been hoodwinked into buying, for more than a hundred million pesos, two experimental machines that did not operate successfully as warranted.

The consideration then by the City Government, thru the Office of the Mayor, of another type and category of waste solution provider, simply shows its disappointment and frustration with Protech, and is one way of showing the latter the door on the way out.

Going back to the new waste solution provider being considered by the City, the Dominion Clean Energy from Germany, its waste to energy solution at no cost to the City is almost a dream come true and one which may yet offer the best solution to the garbage problem of the City.

Nonetheless, going by the saying ‘once bitten, twice shy’, the City has already learned its lesson with Protech and has become overly cautious in accepting offers for the utilization of new technologies to manage garbage. That is why when the proposal of Dominion will finally reach the City Council, there will surely be a lot of questions raised and to be propounded by the members of the august body. Some of the more significant questions to be asked may be: Where will Dominion Clean Energy set up its power plant? Will the process of producing energy from waste entail combustion using fire? Will smoke emissions from such combustion affect the environment? Does the process comply with the provisions of RA 9003? What is the track record of Dominion Clean Energy? Is Dominion really capable of providing the land, building the needed infrastructure and installing its waste to energy machine all within 15 months as it has promised the city? These and other questions will be asked when Dominion Clean Energy will finally present its proposal to the City Council. Lets us hope that, for our sake and for the future generations to come, Dominion Clean Energy is as good, or yet better, as claimed and advertised.