Treñas makes scene at local executives forum
City Mayor Jerry Treñas made a scene during the Metro Iloilo Guimaras' Local Chief Executives Infrastructure Forum last Saturday after he got exasperated on the sectoral plan presented by the chairman of the Consultants for Comprehensive Environmental Planning Inc. (CCEPI) with regard to solid waste management.
Treñas failed to hide his temper that he told CCEPI chair Architect Nathaniel von Einsiedel: "nabibingi na ako diyan (We've heard enough of that)."
Treñas said he has attended several seminars on solid waste management in various places in the country and the same discussions were presented regarding the solid waste management.
"What we want is a specific plan for either the city alone, the region or Metro Iloilo-Guimaras," said Treñas.
Apparently irritated over Einsiedel's presentation, Treñas said he and all the mayors belonging to Metro Iloilo-Guimaras already knew of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 requests all local government units to establish an ecological solid waste management program within their jurisdiction. The law also provides for the necessary institutional mechanisms to attain its objectives. R.A. 9003 addresses the problems of environmental degradation and pollution resulting from refuse dumps and the consequent loss of resources caused by steadily increasing volumes of waste.
To date, however, enforcement of and compliance with R.A. 9003 has been ineffective due to technical, organizational and financial shortcomings in government agencies and tasked local government units.
In his presentation, Einsiedel proposed on the waste segregation at the household level, household or source-based waste processing, operating material recovery facility (MRF), collection, material processing and consolidation in a transfer station, disposal and residual management and institutional and organizational strategies.
Treñas considered Einsiedel's discussions as of "no value" to them. "You should suggest what we are going to do and we will do the rest. We are the decision makers and we will decide. You should come up with specific recommendations," said Treñas.
The chief executive also informed Einsiedel that the city government has already sponsored 25 solid waste management seminars for the 180 barangay captains and yet nothing happened.
Treñas added that the city government is now working on its sanitary landfill project.
He said Einsiedel should have raised ideas on what the city should do relative to the development program for Metro Iloilo-Guimaras.
Einsiedel, for his part said, they need to have a much deeper study regarding the solid waste management and his presentation is a product of what time has allowed them to do. He took note of the mayor's demands.
After, saying all his misgivings, Treñas left the forum and proceeded to the opening of the 2008 Dinagyang festival in SM City.