TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines—The recent devastating typhoons that hit Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon have prompted local government units in Eastern Visayas to consider serious a solid waste management program in their respective areas.
Days after the calamity struck Luzon, the Environmental Management Bureau regional office was swamped with inquiries from these local government units seeking assistance on the implementation of a solid waste management program, according to Maribel Munsayac of the EMB Eastern Visayas.
"Our mayors in the region became more conscious about our environment as they requested our office to provide them information and technical assistance on the solid waste management program," Munsayac said on Saturday.
Several experts had pointed at the obstructions of the waterways in Metro Manila due to improper garbage disposal as a major reason for the massive flooding in the nation's capital when Tropical Storm "Ondoy" hit the area.
Munsayac, regional coordinator of the EMB solid waste management program, said that the calamity became a sort of an eye-opener among local leaders in the region so they would make environmental protection as a priority program, which included the implementation of the solid waste management program.
"It ranks below their list of priorities. But after what happened in Manila, our local government units have now become conscious about our environment by implementing the solid waste management program," she added.
The Republic Act No. 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, requires all local government units in the country to establish an ecological solid waste management program within their jurisdictions.
The law also mandated that the LGUs set up their own material recovery facilities (MRF), among others. An MRF comprises a solid waste transfer station or sorting station, drop-off center, a composting facility and a recycling facility.
Munsayac said that only 30-35 percent of the region's cities and municipalities have their own MRF.
