THE proposed Barangay Ecological Solid Waste Management Summit in Davao City is awaiting its final approval from Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, a city councilor said.
Davao City Councilor Tek Ocampo said that the summit would gather local barangay leaders and their environment committee from all 182 barangays to discuss ways in strengthening the implementation of solid waste management.
“We are praying and hoping it will be approved within this year or hopefully in the third to last quarter of the year,” said Ocampo, who is also the chairperson of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources of the city council.
During an interview with the Davao City Disaster Radio on May 8, Ocampo said some of the problems encountered by the local barangays is they do not have enough space for a materials recovery facility (MRF).
A functioning MRF is intended to serve as the drop-off station for sorting, recycling, and composting solid wastes from households as per Republic Act 9003 Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
“Part man gud sa mandatos sa barangay nga dapat duna ta’y ginatawag na MRF within the barangay na dili gyod matuman sa mga barangay (It’s a law that every barangay should have an MRF but it’s usually not implemented). Ang other barangays mag himo na lang ilahang own scheme (Instead, other barangays come up with their own scheme),” Ocampo said.
Despite RA 9003 and City Ordinance No. 0371-10 Davao City Ecological Solid Waste Management Ordinance of 2009, solid waste management in the city remains feeble.
The councilor added that some barangays came up with their own policies to address their needs in implementing solid waste management.
“Dili pwede na ang ginahimo sa isa ka-barangay, himuon pud sa uban barangays kay lahi man sila og situation (We can’t implement the same scheme in every barangay because they different situations). Kinahanglan gyod nato mag-tinabangay and mapasabot sa mga households kung unsa ilang role gyod (We really have to help each other so that people can understand their role in this),” Ocampo said.
In a previous report, Davao-based environmental group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (Idis) said Dabawenyos are not motivated to follow solid waste management policies or segregate their waste since there are also no resources or tools to do so.
“Wala sila'y area kung asa gyod nila mabutang ang MRF which is mao na ang main reason na ginaingon nila always, apart from the small budget (per barangays) (The barangays do not have an area for their MRF, that’s their main reason apart from the small budget per barangay),” Idis executive director Atty. Mark Peñalver said.
Idis said only 20 percent of barangays in Davao City have MRFs. Of this, only five are functioning, namely those in Barangays Hizon, Gumalang, Mahayag, Tacunan, Mintal, and Catalunan Grande. ICM