Iloilo City to study Dumaguete waste septage project

ILOILO City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog is sending a team from the City Government to study the waste water septage project of Dumaguete City.

Mabilog said the Iloilo team will see the viability of the P25-million Dumaguete project on waste septage to be duplicated in this city without resulting to loans but as joint venture with the Metro Iloilo Water district (MIWD).

Iloilo City's local water district has a reserved site at the city's more than 23 hectares Calajunan dump site in Barangay Calajunan in Mandurriao district and soon to be upgraded into a sanitary landfill area.

Mabilog said the Dumaguete project is good for its 130,000 population but considering Iloilo City's population of almost 500,000, the septage project can be a joint venture with MIWD.

Dumaguete also won a Galing Pook award aside from Iloilo City's Dinagyang Festival in this year’s 10 local government winners for best local governance programs. Other local government awardees are San Jose City, Nueva Ecija; two programs from Mandaluyong City; Muntinlupa City; Valenzuela City; Municipality of Loboc; Sarangani Province; and Brgy. Poblacion, Tupi, South Cotabato.

LGUs are recognized by the awards body for innovative programs that have gained measurable and positive results, empowered its people, and enhanced service delivery.

The Galing Pook awardees were conferred last March 18, 2013 by Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas at the Diosdado Macapagal Hall at the Landbank Plaza in Malate, Manila.

Mabilog said that he and the city mayor of Dumaguete are both first termer city local chief executives who both won the prestigious Galing Pook award this year.

Dumaguete City is the first local government unit to undertake the establishment of a septage management system in the country. It is also the first to institute a major and innovative joint undertaking with a water district to protect and preserve its underground resources.

User fees are collected by the water district as add-on to the monthly water bill as payment for septage management services.