Need for eco centers in Quezon City barangays cited

On Dec. 18, 2008, the Supreme Court issued a writ of mandamus to all concerned agencies, local government units, and other groups to clean up Manila Bay to “restore its water quality to class B waters fit for swimming, skin-diving, and other forms of contact recreation.”

Many Manila Bay cleanups have been conducted, yet garbage and pollutants continue to accumulate.

“The Quezon City government’s answer to this problem is to haul the garbage from each gate or doorstep and dump the waste in Payatas,” said Joey Papa of the environmental group Bangon Kalikasan.

“The Payatas dump fouls the air far and wide, clogs the waterways that cause flooding, and pollutes the waters of the San Mateo, Marikina and Pasig Rivers, and Manila Bay,” he added.

Hauling and dumping the garbage of Quezon City residents and establishments cost P1.08 billion for 1.76 million cubic liters of garbage a year.

“What is needed is a barangay-based system, which zero-waste environmentalists call an ecology center system, a broader concept for the materials recovery facility or MRF referred to in the law, The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 or Republic Act No. 9003,” said Papa.

Follow the lead

The QC government can take the cue from the municipal government of Guiguinto, Bulacan  province, he added.

Guiguinto Mayor Isagani Pascual is awarding P1 million to its cleanest urban barangay and another P1 million to the towns ’cleanest rural barangay,” said the Bangon Kalikasan head.

“P1.08 billion is a staggering amount to dump garbage and destroy the environment while P2.0 million is not much to enhance the environment, save several million pesos paid to the haulers, produce tons of compost for organic farming, generate livelihood from recycled items, and prevent garbage from ending up in Manila Bay,” said Papa.