THE City Government of Cagayan de Oro launched the cash-rich ‘Oro Kalimpyo Awards 2017', a city-wide search for most outstanding villages in the locality on ecological solid waste management at the De Luxe Hotel, July 19.
With Cagayan de Oro Local Environment and Natural Resources Office’s
(Clenro) full backing, the search is aimed at tapping the village-level into the city's thrust for a cleaner environment and responsible solid waste management.
The prize for the winner of the search is P1.1 million in cash prizes.
The “Oro Kalimpyo Awards 2017” jumpstarted in coordination with various concerned offices and institutions in the city like Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, Oro Youth development Council, Oro Chamber, Task Force on Solid Waste Management and other stakeholders of the City Solid Waste Management Board (CSWMB).
The search is in accordance to the Republic Act 2003 or Ecological Solid Waste Management Act wherein villages, establishments and households should be encouraged by the local government unit to practice proper waste segregation at source; cleanliness and orderliness; and the establishment of Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in every village.
The search aims to raise awareness on the importance and benefits of the Ecological Solid Waste Management or ESWM, ensure compliance of the barangays with the mandates of the RA 9003, and give appropriate recognition to model villages with outstanding practices on ESWM.
"Now that we have our new sanitary landfill and we have actually been good in implementing it, the challenge lies in making sure that we understand that Solid Waste Management is a comprehensive process. Time will come when our new one-hectare landfill will be full, but if we learn that responsible solid waste management starts in the household or in the barangay-level, then we will not reach that point. The new landfill is just a part of this process," said Father Roberto Yap, the president of Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan.
All eighty villages of the city are required to join the search and will be clustered into three categories and evaluated regardless of financial capacity, area, and number of households.
Barangays one to forty will be judged under the Urban Category. Twenty four villages will be judged under the sub-urban category namely Lumbia, Balulang, Canitoan, Pagatpat, Carmen, Patag, Bulau, Iponan, Kauswagan, Bayabas, Bonbon, Puntod, Macabalan, Lapasan, Nazareth, Macasandig, Camaman-an, Gusa, Cugman, Tablon, Agusan, Puerto, Bugo, and Consolacion.
Sixteen villages will be judged under the Rural Hinterland Barangay category like Mambuaya, Dansolihon, Bayanga, Besigan, Pagalungan, Tagpangi, Tuburan, Tignapoloan, Baikingon, San Simon, Pigsag-an, Taglimao, Tumpangon, Balubal, indahag, and FS Catanico.
Sabrina Balais, the chairperson of the Search Committee, said the villages only have until August 30 to submit their respective profiles with the target period of September 15 to December 2017 for the assessment or validation site and by January of 2018 for the awarding ceremony.
"Of course throughout the assessment period, the members of the search committee will give surprise or unannounced visits to the barangays to inspect their performance in this search," Balais said.