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By Ronnie E. Calumpita
, Reporter
(Last of two parts)
THE involvement of millions of pesos in garbage
hauling is said to be another factor that affects the implementation
of R.A. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
Under that law, every barangay or cluster of
barangays is mandated to put up its own material recovery facility (MRF).
MRF is where waste segregation, recycling, composting of
biodegradable waste and storing of recyclable materials are supposed
to be made.
Reports said that the big number of garbage
collection contracts entered into by mayors has something to do with
their failure to enforce solid-waste management in their
jurisdictions. The law appears deliberately not enforced because to
do so would affect the local officials’ cuts and kickback derived
from garbage hauling.
Garbage is said to be big business among local
government units, particularly in Metro Manila, as garbage
trafficking, collection and dumping involve huge sums of money. The
bigger the volume of garbage, the bigger the deal and the bigger the
cuts and kickbacks the local officials get.
Odette Alcantara, a convener of Mother Earth
Philippines, said this corruption in the local government, which she
called “green governance anomalies” in garbage contracts, is not
surprising. “It’s an old-fashioned corruption. I think Metro
Manila is the headquarters of garbage syndicates because garbage
contractors are based here.”
Outgoing Environment and Natural Resources
Secretary Elisea Gozun is aware of this reported corruption in the
local government units, which affects the full implementation of R.A.
9003.
“But it’s hard to assume, though we heard
about it that this is one of the issues—that corruption is
allegedly involved, but it’s very difficult to make a categorical
answer that there really is,” she said.
She pointed out, however, that entering into a
contract with garbage collectors is still necessary for the
collection of segregated waste. “There’s still need to collect
biodegradable waste; it must be separated from nonbiodegradable so
we need another truck for that. Bulky waste and special or residual
waste need separate trucks, too.”
Only few garbage trucks, however, are needed to
collect these kinds of waste because tons of waste hauled off by
local government units through garbage contractors are reduced if
they only segregate, compost and recycle their waste in the barangay
level, including in the households.
The 17 cities and municipalities in Metro Manila
generate some 6,700 tons of waste daily, 2,000 of which are
biodegradable; 40 to 45 percent are recyclable. The rest are
considered residual waste, whose disposal lies with the local
government units.
A study on solid-waste management in Metro
Manila funded by the Asian Development Bank shows that more than
P3.54 billion is spent annually by the 17 local government units in
the metropolis for solid-waste collection and disposal, at an
average of P1,450 for every ton.
In 2001 Quezon City, the biggest area in Metro
Manila with 15,359 hectares, topped the list in spending on
solid-waste management with P941.82 million.
Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. of Quezon City
managed to cut down gradually its expenses for garbage collection
and disposal with the successful implementation of the R.A. 9003 in
his jurisdiction.
The Asian Development Bank, impressed by the
Quezon City government’s efficient handling of its waste
management system, has put up a P1.3-million MRF in Barangay Holy
Spirit.
Manila comes next with P574.99-million
expenditure for garbage collection and disposal, followed by Makati
and Caloocan cities with P418.57 million and P357 million in 2001.
Caloocan City, next to Quezon City in land area,
allotted 24 percent of its total expenditures of P1.49 billion in
2001 to garbage collection and disposal. Quezon City comes next with
a 21-percent allocation.
Many local chief executives believe that
barangay officials have the full responsibility for waste management
and disposal. Some even point the finger at barangay captains when
stinking piles of garbage accumulate in the streets and the public
starts complaining.
The mayors, however, do not know or simply
ignore that they also play a vital role in making their cities or
towns garbage-free.
“The barangays are really the ones to carry it
out [R.A. 9003], but, of course, the local government unit has to
provide the financial and logistic support to enable the barangays
to do it,” Gozun said. “Other mayors assign their trucks to
every barangay and they [vehicles] are now managed by the barangay
themselves [for the collection of segregated waste].”
Under Section 12 of R.A. 9003, a solid-waste
management board in every local government unit must be created and
headed by a mayor. The board must develop its plan for solid-waste
management “that should ensure the long-term management of solid
waste, also integrate the plans for solid-waste management of the
barangays in its area of jurisdiction.”
Among the functions of mayors as head of the
city or municipal solid waste management board is to coordinate the
efforts of their component barangays in the implementation of the
law.
“Under the law, they [mayors] are supposed to
take care of the collection of residual and special waste,” Gozun
said. Collecting only residual and special waste is hardly observed
because local government units still practice the so-called
hakot-tambak system of mixture of waste.
R.A. 9003 punishes violators of its provisions
such as littering, open burning of solid waste, squatting in open
dump and landfill and operating open dumps.
Administrative sanctions against government
officials and agencies that do not obey and enforce the law are also
provided.
Gozun has given the mayors until the end of
September to fully carry out R.A. 9003. She warned Metro Manila
mayors on July 30 of filing an administrative complaint at the
meeting of the Metro Manila Council, the legislative body of the
Metro Manila Development Authority, of which mayors in the
metropolis are members.
“It’s been more than two years [since the
law was approved] and yet nothing has happened. We will file cases
if they still fail to comply,” Gozun said of the mayors.
Under Section 61 of R.A. 7160, or the Local
Government Code, a complaint may be filed before the Office of the
President if it is against an elective official of a province or a
city, while the municipal council is tasked to handle complaints
against elective officials of a municipality, including barangay
captains.
For criminal charges, any individual may file a
case against anybody, including local officials, under R.A. 9003.
“We will file cases initially with the
environmental Ombudsman. [On] criminal charges, it depends on our
findings, it depends on the gravity of the offense, but immediately
just for not carrying out the law, it will be largely with the
Ombudsman,” Gozun said.
Metro Manila residents hope that local
officials, including barangays, will finally obey the law, and that
Gozun’s warning against them will be carried out by Michael
Defensor, the incoming environment and natural resources secretary.
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