Cebu City honored for eco program

CEBU, Philippines - The Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has recognized Cebu City as among the local government units in the country that excels in environmental governance.

“For the city’s exemplary performance for environmental governance; for putting in place sustainable practices to achieve clean air, clean water and clean land; and for promoting the development of Environmentally Sustainable Cities (ESC),” the award citation reads.

The award is signed by Corazon Davis, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Officer-In-Charge in Environmentally Sustainable Cities, and Jacqueline Caancan, EMB concurrent director.

The award was given last March 30.

City Planning Development Office head Concepcion Encabo who received the plaque in Dipolog City said the city is among the local government units that are recipients of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) model cities-program of EMB and the Institute of Global Environmental Strategy in Japan.

IGES, which is based in Kitakyushu, Japan has partnered with the city for some environmental programs.

“Since 2011 nag start kana nga program. Sila ang nagpili nato kay naa man tay partnership sa Kitakyushu sa Japan,” Encabo said.

Former Councilor Nida Cabrera of the City’s Environment and Natural Resources Office said she is glad the city’s efforts are being recognized yet clarified the basis for the award were programs implemented a few years back.

Validation took place from July to December last year.

“We submitted a pockets of initiatives that was validated by IGES for sustainable cities, we’re number one in eco policy developments during my time as councilor, we’re the first city to have policy on special waste management and now piloted it to seven barangays, we implemented a policy on septic waste management, and Cebu Business Park was nominated as APEC eco model town in 2016. Even we have some problems in our landfill we have some initiatives in waste reduction and I’m happy with that acknowledgement,” Cabrera told The FREEMAN yesterday.

Councilor Joel Garganera, chairman of the City Council’s committee on environment, said there is still a long way to go.

“A plaque of recognition is nothing when progress isn’t tangible. We’ve come this far, but we have farther to go. Being an environmentally sustainable city is a responsibility… we still have a lot to improve on, we can’t simply settle,” he told The FREEMAN.

He opined further: “I don’t know their criteria for such recognition but certainly dumping the garbage at South Road Properties, reopening the dumpsite and insisting on its operation despite the findings of Department of Health and DENR is certainly mind boggling.”

The city government faces a controversial issue in the reopening of the landfill in Barangay Inayawan, which violates environmental laws and by not complying with sanitary requirements, which prompted the Court of Appeals to close the facility.  (FREEMAN)