ONLY 44 out of the 77 local government units (LGUs) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) approved the 10-year Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP).
While some LGUs have SWMP approved in the different years, the remaining 33 LGUs are up for evaluation or review in the Solid Waste Management Division Central Office, some returned to the LGUs for updating and others are up for review by the Enviromental Management Bureau (EMB)-CAR office.
Benny Antiporda, environment undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and National Solid Waste Management Commission chairman, in his visit in the city on Thursday, August 8, was not satisfied with the number of LGUs with SWM plans.
“I, myself, am not satisfied. In my seven months in the Solid Waste Management Division, we’ve increased 568 percent of accomplishment in improving the SWM plans of the LGUs including the provincial governments,” he said.
“Still we are not satisfied with these numbers. We’d rather come up with zero backlog where in the number is about 1,700 LGUs and yet wala pa atang 1,000 ang aming natatapos,” Antiporda added.
The DENR official added the government wants to attain zero back logs for SWMP to be accomplished in 2019.
The undersecretary said they are reaching out to the Cordillera and other cities and municipalities to provide assistance.
Mindanao and far flung provinces were cited with the most backlogs in the country.
The SWM plans include the local government’s solutions to the waste and garbage problems in their respective areas in order to guarantee a comprehensive environment.
When asked of the reason why LGUs do not have approved SWM plan, the undersecretary attributed the treatment of the SWM issue as the last and the least.
“With that, we will show them that we should be priority because they will be suspended,” Antiporda said.