AS Davao City is set on establishing its waste-to-energy (WTE) project, environmental groups and some residents of affected barangays appealed to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to withdraw its support from the government’s project.
“We hope JICA will reconsider their position to support the WTE project considering this goes against the global trend,” GB Villocino, Advocacy Officer of Masipag Mindanao, a network of farmers and a member of environmental groups in Davao City, said in an interview with SunStar Davao on January 16, 2023.
Villocino said there is a global effort to fight climate change.
“We only have less than 10 years to do something to reverse the impact of climate change, so this project is contradicting the global goal — going green,” he said.
The statement was also supported by Lawyer Mark Peñalver of Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability Davao (IDIS-Davao). He said the project is not only a dangerous way to produce energy but also harmful to the environment.
“What’s more, incineration is not a renewable or sustainable energy source. In fact, it actually produces more greenhouse gasses than coal. So not only is incineration a bad choice for the environment, but it’s also not a wise choice from a climate perspective,” he said in the press release from IDIS.
Villocino added the construction of the facility in Biao Escuela in Tugbok District will affect their organic farm in the area.
Aside from that, he said the residents were not properly consulted about the plan.
“A lot of people have been misinformed about the goal and gravity of the project. So, without this consultation, I think JICA should reconsider, until such time that all communities and stakeholders involved should be granted an opportunity to listen to the proposal so that they can recommend proper safeguards to the project,” he said.
A total of 20 other barangays will also be affected by the project – Mintal, Santo Niño, Catalunan Grande, Langub, Waan, Callawa, Riverside, Balengaeng, Tacunan, Biao Guianga, Angalan, Los Amigos, Talandang, New Valencia, New Carmen, Matina Biao, Tagakpan, Ula, and Tugbok.
Meanwhile, Mintal Resource Collectors Association (MiRCA) in Barangay Mintal said there are more sustainable approaches that the city can take to overcome the problem when it comes to solid waste management.
“We collect recyclables and sell them for profit and WtE will only teach future generations to be lazy as it undermines recycling efforts if waste can be simply burned away.” Randy Catubag Irog, from MiRCA said in the press release.
In 2022, the city approved a P3.4 billion budget for the WTE project since the initial allocated budget provided by the Japanese government of P2.04 billion is not enough. KSD