BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan commended regional director Reynaldo S. Digamo of the Cordillera office of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-CAR) and his personnel for their unwavering support to the local government in finding a permanent solution to the city’s garbage disposal problem.
Digamo graced the Monday regular flag-raising ceremony of the local government where he served as the special guest in the launching of the various activities lined up by the local government in celebration of Environment Month this June.
The local chief executive underscored that Director Digamo, who is not from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), is a role model in the implementation of environmental preservation and protection programs because he ‘walks the talk’ without reservation to ensure the realization of the overall objectives of such programs.
Mayor Domogan claimed Director Digamo has been instrumental in providing the needed technical assistance to the local government for the identification of its temporary waste transfer station within the property of the Baguio Dairy Farm along Marcos highway after a La Trinidad-based court ordered the closure of the private waste transfer station of the hauler of the city’s residual waste in Longlong, Pugus, La Trinidad, Benguet.
Further, he revealed that Director Digamo also played a key role in the identification of the suitable area for the establishment of the proposed integrated solid waste disposal facility within the Antamok open pit site owned by the Benguet Corporation in nearby Itogon, Benguet.
Domogan claimed that when Benguet Corporation and the local government were able to initially identify the 24.11 hectares possible site of the city’s permanent solution to the current garbage disposal concerns, Director Digamo and his technical personnel, together with their counterparts from the Cordillera office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB-CAR) and even the city, worked double time to locate the area suitable for the put up of the components of the facility wherein they were able to conclude that no portion of the area will qualify for the project because a body of water is located within the 300-meter limit prescribed by the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC).
When Benguet Corporation management signified their intention to allow the local government to locate the suitable area for the facility within its property, he said that Director Digamo immediately instructed his technical personnel to work with the MGB-CAR and local government people to immediately visit the site to locate the suitable area for the establishment of the city’s integrated waste disposal facility until they were able to identify some 5.11 hectares which is outside the area earlier subject of the deed of usufruct as the area that could accommodate the project and will qualify for the put up of the appropriate facilities pursuant to the guidelines.
After the finalization of the amendments of the deed of usufruct that will include the expanded area for the city’s waste disposal project, the local government will request the concerned government agencies to conduct the appropriate inspection and evaluation for the possible issuance of the necessary environmental compliance certificate that will jumpstart the implementation of the project.
Dexter A. See
