BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan announced that the technical working group (TWG) created to evaluate the submitted proposals for the latest acceptable and environment-friendly technologies on solid waste disposal has reportedly trimmed down the number of proponents for consideration by the developer of the Antamok open pit project that will be converted into a sanitary landfill with a waste-to-energy component.
The local chief executive revealed from the original 24 proponents that submitted their proposals to the City General Services Office for the city’s supposed waste-to-energy project in Sto. Tomas, the proponents were reduced to only 10 by the TWG for the said purpose.
In a recent meeting with Benguet Corporation (BC) and Itogon municipal officials, the signatories to the tripartite agreement for the utilization of the 60-hectare BC Antamok open pit property agreed to fastrack the pertinent documents required for the project while the concerns raised by Itogon will be addressed in future detailed agreements once the open pit site will be allowed to be used as a site for the landfill with the latest waste-to-energy component.
Earlier, Itogon municipal officials expressed fear that the use of the Antamok open pit site for the landfill and waste-to-energy project will have a serious negative effect on the environment and the inhabitants of the place and raised concerns on the benefits that will be drived by the municipal government from the operation of the facility for a 25-year period.
According to Domogan, it was initially agreed that the issues raised by Itogon, especially on the effects of the project on the environment, will be addressed once the feasibility study shall have been completed while the benefits for the municipality will be ironed out in the future detailed agreements once the project shall have been approved by concerned government agencies.
Domogan explained the earlier agreement they signed was primarily intended for the processing of the pertinent documents that will be needed to ensure that concerned agencies shall have passed upon the project.
BC offered its Antamok open site as the possible site where the landfill and waste-to-energy project will be established to serve as the company’s compliance to the final mine rehabilitation plan after the open pit area was closed in 1997.
Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 mandates all local governments to close the operation of their open dumpsites and shift to the operation of controlled dump facilities or other environmentally-friendly disposal technologies for the preservation and protection of the environment and for the health benefits of their constituents.
Local governments are given a period of at least ten years to comply with the closure of their open pit dumpsites and put up their respective landfill facilities or embrace the latest environmentally-acceptable technologies to properly dispose of their generated waste.
Domogan appealed to officials and residents of Itogon for understanding on the signed agreement because it will be the municipality that will benefit from the eventual operation of the project from its share of fees to be collected aside from the guaranteed use of the facility by the local government. By Dexter A. See
