Mandaue barangays struggle with MRFs

ALMOST half of bara-ngays in Mandaue City still have to comply with the solid waste management ordinance that requires a materials recovery facility (MRF) in every barangay.

Ricardo Mendoza, head of the Mandaue barangay solid waste segregation monitoring team, said that out of 27 ba-rangays in the city, 12 barangays have not yet established MRFs.

These barangays are Looc, Umapad, Opao, Tipolo, Maguikay, Tingub, Paknaan, Centro, Subang-daku, Tawason, Basak and Cabancalan.

At MRFs, recyclable or non-biodegradable materials are separated from biodegradable wastes. While biodegradable wastes end up in composts, recyclable materials are sold to junkshops or recycled.

Penalties

Environmental lawyer Benjamin Cabrido, Man-daue City consultant on ecology, said City Hall will send notices to the barangays to compel them to put up MRFs within 30 days, or face charges and penalties.

Cabrido said delinquent barangays will not only face penalties and fines as stated in the city’s ordinance on solid waste management; they might be sanctioned for violating Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

But concerned village chiefs said they have not found a suitable area for their MRFs.

Looc Barangay Captain Raul Cabahug earlier said they are still looking for a site for the MRF.

Dumpsite

The barangay had to segregate their wastes at the Umapad dumpsite, he added.

Florello Latonio, chief of Barangay Centro, said they have an MRF but it is too small to accommodate composting.

He added that other village chiefs have the same problem.

To comply with the ordinance, Latonio said the barangay opted to form a cluster with Barangays Tingub and Taboc to create a joint MRF.

The barangays are still finalizing the fee schedule for the facility’s use, he added.

Ernie Manatad, Subang-daku chief and Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president, said a temporary MRF was established in his barangay by his predecessor but this became useless later.

Subangdaku barangay officials recently found a 7,000-square-meter lot in Sitio Upper Malibo, which is suitable for an MRF. The owner of the land allowed the barangay to use the property for free, Manatad said.

Mendoza said City Hall has given financial assistance to the barangays, so “they have no reason not to comply.”

City Hall gave each barangay P100,000 for the MRF. Some barangays also received P50,000 each from Capitol.

Mendoza pointed out that the solid waste management program of the City has given many opportunities to barangays like Pagsabungan, Bakilid and Canduman.

He revealed that the three barangays now collect their own garbage and are earning from their composting projects.