BAGUIO CITY June 11 – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan expressed his gratitude to Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi for providing the P6 million from the energy department needed by the Philippine National Oil Company–Renewables Corporation (PNOC-RC) for the completion of the ongoing feasibility study on the utilization of a 29-hectare property of Benguet Corporation (BC) for the local government’s proposed integrated solid waste disposal facility to help address the solid waste disposal problems of the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) area.
Last week, PNOC-RC officials led by its president John Arenas visited Mayor Domogan to update himself on the latest developments on the ongoing feasibility study it is undertaking on the 29-hectare property ceded by the country’s oldest mining company to the city.
“We are grateful to Energy Secretary Cusi for willingly providing the needed funds to complete the feasibility study for us to pursue the long overdue integrated solid waste disposal facility to put an end to our garbage disposal problems, especially the BLISTT local governments,” Mayor Domogan stressed.
The local chief executive underscored the putting up of the proposed integrated solid waste disposal facility, including an engineered sanitary landfill, a waste-to-energy plant, a centralized materials recovery facility, an anaerobic digester, a toxic and medical waste treatment plant, a special waste treatment plant and the operation of the Environmental Recycling System (ERS), will help stop the hauling of the city’s residual waste to the engineered sanitary landfill in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan.
Earlier, BC ceded to the local government a total of 29.11 hectares from its existing properties in Antamok, Itogon, Benguet which could be used for the establishment of an integrated solid waste disposal facility for a period of 25 years without any payment in return.
PNOC-RC previously entered into an agreement with the local government to pursue the conduct of a feasibility study on the proposed integrated solid waste disposal facility within the ceded property to ascertain which portion of the property will be suitable for the purpose.
Further, PNOC-RC also entered into an agreement with the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) which will purchase the renewable energy to be produced by the planned waste-to energy plant.
Domogan is keeping his fingers crossed that the proposed project will be feasible based on the outcome of the ongoing feasibility study so that the local government will be able to put an end to the city’s garbage woes, aside from maximizing the potentials of the waste in producing renewable energy that can help lower the electric charges to the increasing number of consumers in the Baguio and Benguet areas.**By Dexter A. See
