Los Baños waste mg’t board defends mayor

Sixteen member-organizations of the Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) of Los Baños, Laguna have come to the defense of the town mayor against allegations of irregularities in the municipal solid waste management program.

In a statement, they belied claims that the town’s garbage disposal is mismanaged, poses health risks to the townsfolk and threatens to contaminate vital water resources like the Laguna de Bay.

The SWMB members recalled how Mayor Caesar Perez transformed a 20-year-old dumpsite at Mt. Makiling into a so-called garbage segregation area.

They said the old dumpsite was comparable to Manila’s Smokey Mountain, emitting foul smell and hosting harmful insects and rodents, thus causing health problems among residents.

To address the problem, they said Perez spearheaded the waste management program in August 2001 with the help of the Los Baños Science Community Foundation Inc. composed of 22 public and private science and development institutions.

Through the foundation’s adopt-a-barangay scheme, the member-agencies took charge of related activities, provided assistance to certain communities, and conducted public consultations and an educational campaign to make the residents more aware of proper waste management, the SWMB member-groups said.

These activities, according to the SWMB, motivated the townsfolk to take part in and support the implementation of Municipal Ordinance No. 2001-08 which mandates anti-littering and waste segregation programs.

In January 2004, the dumpsite was transformed into what Perez described as an Eco-Waste Processing Center.

The SWMB member-groups said the joint efforts of the municipal government and the LBSCFI’s member-agencies have paid off, with the center now producing compost from biodegradable wastes.

For non-biodegradable wastes, they said Perez formed the Philippine Society for the Study of Nature which authorized "waste-pickers" or scavengers to gather recyclable materials and sell them to junkshops or even to the local government.

"We regret that a handful of people still find reason to maliciously derail the joint efforts of those who are involved in this undertaking. We are hoping that we can set the record straight," the SWMB member-groups said.  

They added: "We regret that malicious allegations and false accusations are being made public for (they) undermine our reputation as guardians of the environment. Abuse can never take place in this small community without being noticed by the vigilant people of Los Banos," they said.

The SWMB statement was signed by the leaders of the 16 member-groups led by councilor Hesus Sumangil, chairman of the municipal council’s environment committee.

They issued the statement in response to councilor Norvin Tamisin’s allegations that the Eco-Waste Processing Center lies near a creek and is within the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, thus violating the Solid Waste Management Act.