DENR grants LGUs P19M for garbage management

LEGAZPI CITY --- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) is awarding 42 local government units (LGUs) in Bicol a total of P19.95 million in fund grants for their ecological solid waste management programs, particularly the establishment of material recovery facilities (MRFs).

DENR-EMB Bicol regional director Engr. Maria Socorro Abu, in a phone interview on Friday said here that the funding will go to the construction of the MRF structures and for acquisition of equipment like shredders, organic composter and baler machine, depending on the needed facilities.

“The main objective of the grant is to minimize the waste. Not all the trashes should lodge at the disposal facilities, but only those residual wastes (hindi lahat ng basura ay dapat napupunta sa disposal facilities only the risudual lang)”, Abu said.

Each municipality will receive PHP475,000 as financial assistance, with the project implementation to be placed under close monitoring by DENR-EMB.

“It will be monitored by our office in close coordination with Department of the Inerior and Local Government (DILG) since it is COAble”, Abu added.

The reciepient municipalities are Camalig, Jovellar, Rapu-Rapu, and Tiwi,all in Albay; Capalonga, Labo, Paracale, San Lorenzo Ruiz, San Vicente, Santa Elena, and Vinzons, all in Camarines Norte; and Baao, Balatan, Bato, Bombon, Bula, Camaliga, Canaman, Caramoan, Gainza, Garchitorena, Goa, Lagonoy, Lupi, Nabua, Pamplona, San Fernando and Siruma, in Camarines Sur.

Also recipients are Bagamanoc, Baras, Bato, Caramoran, Gigmoto, Panganiban, San Miguel, Viga and Virac, all in Catanduanes; Baleno, Cawayan, Monreal, Palanas, and San Jacinto, in Masbate.

The selected LGUs are those that did not receive yet any previous assistance from EMB, with available LGU-owned lot of not less than 50 square meters and able to allocate financial counterpart, as main criteria to become recipient.

Upon receiving the grant, EMB together with the selected LGUs will sign an memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the program that will be implemented to ensure that it will be utilized according to its purpose. Last year, the EMB also provided financial support to 33 LGUs for the same objective.