BAGUIO CITY – The city government only needs some P106 million to build the required 1.6-kilometer road from the circumferential road in Sto. Tomas proper up to the site of the proposed integrated solid waste management facility in barangay St. Tomas School Area.
City General Services Officer Romeo D. Concio said the proposed roadline leading to the earlier identified site for the city’s integrated solid waste disposal facility is much cheaper to build compared to the proposed roadline in barangay Camp 7.
“The plans and project estimates for the proposed road were already completed by the city engineering office and we are just awaiting the results of the bidding of the initial P50 million earmarked for the project under this year’s annual budget,” Concio stressed.
Further, the city general services officer cited at least P70 million is available for realignment which will be used to augment the existing budget in order to complete the road project which includes concreting, road opening and the putting in place of slope protection walls along the area to prevent erosions, especially during the rainy season.
Concio expressed his gratitude to the city engineering office led by Engr. Elpidio Garabiles for fastracking the required project plans and specifications of the project so that it will be bidded out the soonest which will be followed by the project implementation signalling the start of the ground works for the put up of the integrated solid waste disposal facility pursuant to the revised 10-year city solid waste management plan which was approved by the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC).
Aside from the operation of a waste-to-energy facility within the proposed site, Concio added that there will also be an anaerobic digester, waste-to-diesel or compressed gas, the two Environmental Recycling System (ERS) machines and a special equipment to treat medical and toxic waste among other interventions to contribute in solving the city’s garbage disposal problem.
He said that once the city council will act on the terms of reference for the city’s integrated solid waste disposal facility, the same will be scheduled for public bidding whereby interested bidders will be invited to submit their proposals for evaluation on which among them will have the offer that will be most advantageous to the city government.
According to him, the city government needs to embark on multiple approaches that will contribute in addressing the city’s garbage disposal problem which has been eating up a huge chunk of the city’s annual budget over the past eight years.
At present, the city government is now hauling its residual waste to the Capas, Tarlac engineered sanitary landfill which is now costing the city around P80 to P100 million annually.
However, Concio said that the city general services is doing its best to continuously reduce the expenses for the hauling of the city’s residual waste in order to ensure the existence of savings which could be used for the implementation of similar interventions that would help in addressing the garbage problem of the city.
He said the existence of newly purchased garbage trucks has contributed in improving the efficiency of their office in collecting the generated wastes in the different barangays and in the central business district area.
By Dexter A. See
