Emergency state in NCR declared

Mayors in the National Capital Region (NCR) declared a state of emergency yesterday to tap calamity funds in their budgets to address the garbage crisis.

Manila City Mayor Lito Atienza, president of the Metro Manila Council, in a weekly forum at the Horizon Hotel, explained that the declaration was an admission that there is presently an emergency in Metro Manila and that the immediate disposal of garbage is the main issue that must be resolved.

Under the state of emergency, the mayors are allowed to tap calamity funds equivalent to five percent of their annual budgets.

In Manila, for example, Atienza noted that the calamity fund is around P250 million.

LGUs are allowed to tap the fund in times of calamities such as typhoons, earthquakes and in this case, the garbage crisis.

No details were given about how the funds would be used except that it would be spent to "address the garbage problem."

However, Atienza pointed out that only a portion of the calamity fund is left at this time of the year as a significant amount had already been withdrawn during the first half for other purposes.

MMDA Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr., for his part, welcomed the support of the mayors for his efforts to come up with a lasting solution to the garbage problem.

Abalos reported that a sanitary landfill is being developed in Bagac, Bataan for a portion of Metro Manila’s garbage.

The plan has reportedly received the approval of the municipal government as well as the go signal from Governor Leonardo Roman.

Abalos stressed that the Bagac site, which is over 300 hectares, would only be host to residual wastes.

Initially, the accumulated garbage at Pier 18 in Manila would be shipped to Bataan on board barges.

The estimated one million tons of garbage on Pier 18 would first be packed into container vans before they are loaded onto the barges.

The shipment would then be unloaded at the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant site in Morong, Bataan which would serve as a transfer station and materials recovery facility (MRF).

Abalos said the use of BNPP as a transfer station would only be used on a temporary basis while the Bagac site is being developed.

He added that the BNPP transfer station would probably be used only for two months and that only a warehouse located on the site would serve as the MRF.

The MMDA is looking at utilizing as many landfill sites as possible to serve Metro Manila’s more than 6,000 tons of daily garbage.

Two offshore landfills are being eyed by the MMDA near Engineering Island in Manila and off the coast of Navotas.

Another landfill is also being developed in Rodriguez, Rizal which Abalos said will be available by the end of the year.

An Initial Environmental Evaluation is also being conducted in Navotas for the possibility of converting some of the municipality’s fishponds into temporary dumpsites.