COA to Baguio City: Put up garbage facility

MANILA, Philippines — Citing an increase in garbage disposal expenses, the Commission on Audit (COA) asked the Baguio City government to put up its own waste treatment facility.

In a recent audit report, the COA said the city government spent P254.52 million in hauling and P217.941 million in tipping fees to bring its waste to dumps outside the city.

Baguio spends P935.50 and P550 in hauling and tipping fees, respectively, for every ton of waste, the COA said.

In 2017 alone, the city government spent P82.582 million in hauling and tipping fees, an increase of P11.029 million from its garbage disposal expenses in 2016.

The COA said 56,000 tons of waste were hauled from the city in 2017, compared to only 50,000 in the previous years.

Baguio spent P64.65 million for its garbage disposal in 2015, P93.946 million in 2014, P68.971 million in 2013, P78.937 million  in 2012 and P11.821 million in 2011.

“The absence of an established solid waste management system facility... resulted in significant expenditures... These annual disbursements could have been used for more significant development projects,” the COA said.

The establishment of a sanitary landfill is mandated under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, the COA reminded city government officials.

Meanwhile, the Baguio Medical Center (BMC) said its contractors were to blame for dumping hospital waste near a creek in Tuba, Benguet.

At a recent technical conference called by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), Jennifer Balatian, BMC director, said they hired contractors Onofre Calam-ang and Isio Aronza Jr. to haul and dump excavated materials  for a proposed parking area of the hospital, but they were not aware that hospital waste was also taken.

The EMB issued notices to the BMC for violation of environmental laws after hospital waste, including dextrose sets, syringes, empty fluid packs, vials and other medical waste, were found in a private lot where excavated soil materials were dumped.