Saturday, June 16, 2007 City addresses livelihood of scavengers
THE Baguio City Environment and Parks Management Office (Cepmo) maintained its earlier decision on barring the entry of the elderly and minors to the Irisan open dumpsite.
The Cepmo, however, agreed to a special arrangement with the displaced scavengers by segregating hog feeds before dumping the collected garbage into the temporary collection site.
Prior to the closure of the dumpsite, the Cepmo came up with a 14-point operational policy on the entry of scavengers, Cepmo and the contractors' employees to the site.
Rule 8 states that people aged over 60 years old and below 18 years old are prohibited from entering to the dumpsite for health and safety reasons.
"They are a vulnerable sector," stressed Cepmo Chief Cordelia Lacsamana.
The high content of methane gas in the mountain of garbage and the presence of heavy equipment due to the earth moving activities endangers the elderly and minors, Lacsamana added.
The 14-point rule was done with the recommendation of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).
However, Lacsamana and technical working group head Nazita Bañez reiterated that the scavengers were not abandoned as Cepmo continues, through the CSWDO, to address their needs.
The CSWDO has surveyed 59 families needing livelihood training assistance and request was already done at the Baguio City Council for funding. (RO)
