Sen. Cynthia Villar provided new composting facilities in a bid to promote the use of organic fertilizers and reduce dependence on imported chemical fertilizers which cost the country P10 billion a year.

"Aside from the huge savings, a composting facility helps reduces the volume of trash thrown in dumpsites," said Villar during the turnover and launching of the use of the three composting facilities in Brgy. Zapote 5, Bacoor City, Cavite, on Saturday, Nov. 25.

"The current global demand greatly affects the entry of fertilizer imports in our country. This caused limited local fertilizer supply that influenced the escalation of local prices,” noted Villar, chairperson of the Senate Agriculture and Food Committee.

She related that the Philippines lost to super typhoon Ondoy the only producer of fertilizer found in Leyte.

Villar has been allocating an annual budget for the procurement of composting facilities which are distributed nationwide by the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture.

"A composting facility turns bio-degradable wastes like kitchen wastes into organic fertilizer. Each composter can produce one ton organic fertilizer per month," said Villar.

The senator has provided her home city Las Piñas with 89 composting facilities which reduce the local government's expenses on waste disposal, even saving P300 million a year.

She encourages the public to share her passion for maintaining a clean and healthy environment while giving jobs to our people and savings to our country.