CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Barangay captains here who fail to fulfill their duties under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act could face charges once the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO) starts the strict implementation of the law in 2024.
BARANGAY Carmen workers collect garbage after the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections at West City Central School, Cagayan de Oro City, on October 30. (Franck Dick Rosete)
CLENRO chief Engr. Armen Cuenca said they will be gathered for a meeting around December or early January next year where CLENRO will discuss the role of barangays in solid waste management.
“We will strictly implement (RA) 9003, and if the barangay won’t follow, we will file a case,” Cuenca said on Tuesday, November 7, adding that the strict implementation of RA 9003 here will start after the meeting.
Section 10 of the law states that segregation and collection of solid waste, specifically biodegradable, compostable, and reusable waste, shall be conducted on the barangay level.
The only responsibility of the city or municipal government shall be the collection of non-recyclable materials and special wastes.
BARANGAY Carmen Captain Raineir Joaquin Uy answers questions from the media prior to the start of the mass oathtaking of newly elected barangay officials in Cagayan de Oro City on November 7. (Franck Dick Rosete)
Barangay Carmen Captain Raineir Joaquin Uy said that proper waste segregation is hard to implement and useless if there are limited garbage trucks.
“We segregate, but after it (the garbage) is collected, where there’s only one truck, the segregation will be gone,” Uy said.
Despite this, he said they have been taking initiatives to address issues on solid waste management.
Many residents had been complaining about the garbage collection schedule and failure of garbage collectors to reach inner areas. On September 4, the problem of garbage collection reached the city council.
Read: https://mb.com.ph/2023/9/7/cagayan-de-oro-folk-cry-foul-over-uncollected-garbage
CLENRO started the strict implementation of RA 9003, specifically in Barangays 1 to 40, where some residents were penalized. However, there were residents who would not admit violations and the CLENRO wants barangay captains to focus on filing cases if there is a violation.
CITY Local Environment and Natural Resources Office head Engr. Armen Cuenca answers questions from the media during the 2024 executive budget hearing in Cagayan de Oro City on November 7. (Franck Dick Rosete)
The city council committee of the whole conducted on Tuesday the 2024 executive budget hearing where the P11.2-billion proposed budget next year was approved by the committee in less than four hours.
Cuenca said the proposed budget for the city’s solid waste management program in 2024 increased to P260 million from P220 million this year as the current garbage contractor has been collecting 28,000 to 29,000 cubic meters per month, higher than the 23,000 cubic meters per month stated under its contract.
The current garbage collector – the joint venture of Jomara Konstruckt Corp. and Tencil Construction Incorporated – started operating in March after winning the bid.
Read: https://mb.com.ph/2023/3/28/problems-in-cdo-garbage-collection-finally-addressed
With the increase in the proposed budget, the CLENRO chief hopes that this would improve the solid waste management system here.