A total of 158 hograisers within the Bued River Basin in Baguio were found to be operating business without a septic tank and thereby directly discharges untreated animal wastewater into open environment.
The data was based on the monitoring of the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) in compliance to the Bued River Action Plan 2019 after it has been identified as a Water Quality Management Area (WQMA) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The action plan was formulated in a bid to improve Bued River’s quality of water which was an offshoot of the Balili River Revitalization program.
In the report, Engr. Moises Lozano, assistant head of CEPMO and division chief of the Wastewater Management Division (WAMD), revealed that out of the 23 barangays of Baguio within the Bued River Basin, there are 10 barangays monitored with hograisers.
At least 203 hograisers have been mapped with over 1052 hogs but only 45 have septic tank and biogas system.
Lozano said the Inter-Agency Task Force on Piggeries and Poultry in the city of Baguio provides a two year ultimatum starting this year for hograisers with septic tanks to dispose their hogs while only six months was given for those without septic tanks.
Barangay San Vicente was monitored to have the most number of hograisers at 79 with 352 hogs with only 15 hograisers operating with a septic tank.
Other barangays with a number of residents on hog raising business include Lower Dagsian with 27 hograisers – 93 hogs but only five have septic tank; Balsigan with 22 hograisers – 142 pigs but only six have septic tank; Camp 7 with 21 hograisers – 245 pigs but only 10 have septic tanks; and, Poliwes with 21 hograisers – 110 hogs but only five have septic tank.
Barangays Upper Dagsian have 12 hograisers with 37 pigs and no septic tank; Greenwater have 11 hograisers with 78 hogs but only one has septic tank; Bakakeng Central have four hograisers with 14 hogs and no septic tank; Imelda Marcos have four hograisers with six hogs but only two has septic tank; while, Sto. Tomas Proper have two hograisers with 11 hogs but only one has septic tank.
Meantime, barangays Military Cut-off, Sta. Escolastica, Hillside, Scout Barrio, SLU-SVP, BGH Compound issued a certification that their barangays have no residents with hograising activity while barangays Bakakeng Norte/Sur, Camp 8, Dontogan, Gabriela Silang, Loakan Liwanag, Loakan Proper and Sto. Tomas School Area have not submitted their inventory nor issued a certification of no hograising activity.
Lozano said his office will continue to monitor the barangays within the Bued River basin to ensure compliance on environmental laws. He added that CEPMO will start the issuance of Notice of Agreement to state deadline of hograising and signify agreement among stakeholders with an affidavit of undertaking to be signed by the hograiser in front of a prosecutor.
The City Legal Office will file appropriate case for hograisers who did not comply to the affidavit and for habitual violators.
DENR Regional Director Ralph Pablo said piggery waste contain high coliform bacteria which causes water and air pollution. He iterated that raising pigs in urban areas is not allowed under existing environmental laws.
By: Jessa Mardy Polonio-Samidan
