Aquino told: Big cleanup needed for APEC

For the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), it’s never too early to do a top-to-bottom “house cleaning” before the international VIPs drop by for a visit.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje yesterday pushed local governments in Metro Manila to stage a massive cleanup of the capital ahead of the Philippines’ hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2015.

He also urged President Aquino to “crack the whip” on recalcitrant mayors in the metropolis who were not fully implementing Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

“We’re hosting the APEC in 2015 so there’s really a need for [the cleanup],” Paje told reporters at a briefing.

The last time the Philippines hosted the APEC summit was in 1997. It was held in Subic.

Paje added that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was poised to launch a major program on zero waste although the actual implementation would fall on LGUs under the law.

Under RA 9003, the DENR’s role is to monitor the LGUs’ implementation of RA 9003 since it “cannot invest in solid waste management activities.

‘Trash boats’ for Manila Bay

He noted that two years ago, the agency launched a project to deploy “trash boats” to collect garbage in Manila Bay only to receive a letter from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) reminding the DENR that it could not allocate part of its budget for the initiative as it did not have the mandate to do so.

In the July 5, 2012, letter, the DBM denied the DENR’s request that it be allowed to realign its budget for the Operational Plan of Manila Bay Coastal Strategy since it was “not within the mandated functions of the DENR.”

“RA 9003 says the management of solid waste is under the jurisdiction of the local governments so we really have to fully implement this,” Paje said.

He added that he was set to meet with zero waste advocates and other civil society members to discuss other approaches to clean up Metro Manila. “As you know, anything in government is budget-driven,” he said.

“We want to change our approach and discuss the things we would like to achieve and focus on in the next three years,” Paje  said.

“We must really have a conscious effort to fully implement RA 9003. Two years ago, we invested in trash boats and the DBM sent us a letter saying we can’t use our budget for that so we donated it to the LGUs to clean up Manila Bay. We’re willing to do our part but anything we do in government must be legal,” he told reporters.

Based on DENR records, Metro Manila generates eight tons of garbage on a daily basis.