SANTA ANA — A former councilor here has vowed to work on the waste management issues in the municipality if given the chance to return to public office.
During a consultative meeting hosted by Former Councilor Rolando Maglangue, residents of Barangay Sta. Lucia raised concerns about the collection of household waste.
Maglanque has been conducting consultative meetings with his supporters from different barangays.
The former officials said scores of supporters are encouraging him to seek for the mayoralty post to succeed his cousin, incumbent Mayor Ross Gamboa.
Gamboa will complete his nine-year term as mayor next year.
The residents expressed concerns about the irregular collection of household waste which, they said, is currently limited to twice a month.
Maglanque said the delays in garbage collection is caused by the closure of an open dumpsite in 2019 due to alleged violation of environmental laws.
“Ginagawa po ng ating kasalukuyang mayor ang lahat ng pwedeng solusyon pero gusto pa natin dagdagan para mas malinis at maayos ang bayan ng Sta. Ana,” Maglanque said.
The former official said the town relies on just two staging areas for garbage collected from 14 barangays before it is transported to the Kalangitan Sanitary Landfill in Tarlac.
If given the chance, Maglanque said he will find a new site for an additional Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).
“Kailangan na ng dagdag na MRF site para hindi na umiikot ang basura sa maraming barangay bago makarating lang sa existing MRF natin at hindi na rin itambak ng mga tao sa daan o sa harapan nila ang basura,” Maglanque said.
The ex-councilor added that he will provide mini dump trucks to each of the town’s 14 barangays to improve waste collection.
The consultative meeting with residents of Barangay Sta. Lucia was the seventh gathering Maglanque held this year as part of his efforts to engage with the community and address their concerns.
“Gusto kong marinig sa kanila ang kailangan nila at kung paano ko ito matutugunan. Malaki ang pasalamat ko naman na nandito po sila para makipag-usap at kwentuhan sa akin,” he added.