The worsening solid waste condition in the country needs to be urgently addressed as Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu now bats for the easy and inexpensive operation of sanitary landfill. Sec Cimatu wants to allow more local government units (LGUs) to set up their own solid waste management facilities.

          Cimatu instructed DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Unit Concerns Benny Antiporada to “review and revise” DENR Administrative Order (DAO) 2001-34 or the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9003, to build and improve sanitary landfills among LGUs in the country. This will further address solid waste disposal concerns by encouraging the practice of recycling, composting, collecting and transferring of wastes to be processed in solid waste management facilities.

          “Only ten (10) percent of concerned LGU’s nationwide have sanitary landfills two decades after RA 9003 was enacted,” Cimatu pointed out as he gave his marching orders to officials and employees of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) during his traditional “New Year’s Call” at the Central Office in Quezon City, recently.

          “Make the establishment and operation of a sanitary landfill simpler and less costly without sacrificing the main objectives of proper solid waste disposal, which is to prevent leachate from going to waterways,” Environment Secretary said as he delivers his marching orders.

          Although a lot of LGUs find it difficult to comply with the law of building and maintaining a sanitary landfill due to its complexity and it is also expensive. There are options however, like adjacent municipalities or cities should cluster and pool together their resources to establish a sanitary landfill. They can avail of government loans particularly offered by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) under its green financial program if they’re out of funds to build a sanitary landfill. They could come up with a scheme to pay the loan by collection of tipping fees.

          A sanitary landfill is a solid waste management facility using an engineered method of waste disposal where waste are buried underground or in a large pile being controlled and monitored. The bottom of the landfill has network of plumbing, serves as collection system for liquids to avoid leakages of leachates from the landfill that harms the waterways. LGUs are bound to comply operation of landfills in the cities and municipalities under the Republic Act of 9003 or the Ecological Waste Management Act of 2000.

           “Our Department will continue to strictly implement environmental laws and sustain the gains of all environmental programs and projects for the protection of public health and the environment,” said DENR 6 Regional Executive Director Francisco E. Milla.

          Ecological Solid Waste Management is the 3rd of the ten (10) priority programs of DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu.

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Published: 08 January 2020

Seeing the potential of Panay Island to grow healthy bamboos, DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu proposed the possibility of making Panay Island the as country’s Bamboo Capital.

“We will adopt the latest technology in producing lumber and timber out of bamboo stands. This can usher inclusive development in the island and provide income and livelihood not only to the marginal farmers, and promote Panay as the country’s bamboo capital,” Secretary Cimatu said during the National Convergence Iniative for Sustainable Rural Development held in Iloilo City.

Secretary Cimatu hopes to pursue bamboo plantation in the same way which the National Greening Program (NGP) is being implemented. He saw its potential of mitigating the impacts of climate change. Indeed, bamboo forests serve as carbon sink while producing oxygen as well.

Its environmental benefits include being a natural control for soil erosion, regulate water levels in watersheds, conserve biodiversity and beautify the landscape, to mention a few.

To help this materialize, DENR Region 6 Regional Executive Director Francisco E. Milla, Jr. had conceptualized the following activities as an initial steps in achieving this goal; conduct of regionwide validation for potential sites for Bamboo Plantation; establishment of pilot nurseries for bamboo; conduct capability building, including cross visit to expose the participants on bamboo industries existing plantations; and to identify potential sites for bamboo processing plant for engineered bamboo products.

Anent this, the region will host the 5-day 1^st ASEAN Bamboo Congress for Climate Change Adaptation Towards Environmental Sustainability and Economic Resiliency to be held in Iloilo City on August 12 to 16, 2019.

The activity aims to provide a venue for an international forum for the exchange of information and updates among researchers, academe, policy makers, private and public individuals on bamboo and sustainable environmental strategies within the ASEAN region.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB) will spearhead this and will be expecting local, national and international participants.

“This Bamboo Congress is timely for the instruction of Secretary Cimatu to make Panay Island the Bamboo Capital of the Philippines. This will help the people to further enhance and expand their knowledge on what are the benefits the bamboo will give us aside from being one of the oxygen-givers in this planet,” DENR 6 RED Milla said.

One of Secretary Cimatu’s ten point agenda is the Enhanced National Greening Program (E-NGP) which not only focuses on the greening of the environment, but also to generate livelihood program for those involve and at the same time boosts the country’s economy by means of selling local products.

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Published: 09 October 2019

Every 3^rd Saturday of September, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) participates in the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), the world’s largest volunteer effort for ocean health, in order to get rid of trash, provide information and raise environmental awareness.

With this year’s theme: “Battle for Litter-Free Seas”, the ICC will be conducted on the 5-kilometer coastal stretch from Brgy. Sto. Niño Sur, Arevalo to Calumpang, Molo, Iloilo City, which aims to clear the coastline from non-biodegradable litters.

As an expected output of ICC 2019, stakeholders should have a better appreciation of the importance of dedicating efforts to have a trash free-seas, coasts, and other significant water bodies. In addition to the 5-kilometer, a 16-kilometer stretch of 24 coastal barangays will be cleaned up in coordination with the Iloilo City Government, covering all coastal barangays in the city. Thus, a total of 21-kilometers are up for coastal cleanup on September 21, 2019.

Furthermore, the DENR 6 chief encourages more volunteers to participate in this yearly event in saving our oceans.

“This International Coastal Clean-up and other cleanup activities only show us the pressing need to properly manage our wastes and not allow it to end up polluting our coastal and marine waters. We are looking forward to a stronger participation and involvement from the stakeholders to implement the proper solid waste management at the household level,” DENR 6 Regional Executive Director Francisco E. Milla, Jr. said.

“The battle for litter-free seas will never end. This will continue until we all manage our trash, until we see no more trash in our coastal areas and seas,” he added.

Last year, a total of four hundred ninety seven (497) trash bags with an estimated of 3,496.3 kilograms were collected by the 1,242 volunteers during the cleanup along the 5-kilometer coastline stretch from Arevalo District to Molo District. Among the top ten collected garbage were: 1. Food wrappers (7,047); 2. Plastic grocery bags (3,858); 3. Other plastic/foam packaging (3,733); 4. Tiny Plastic Pieces  (3,357); 5. Other Plastic Bags (3,101); 6. Straws/Stirrers (2,982); 7. Shoes/Slippers (2,723); 8. Tiny Foam pieces (2,170); 9. Cigarette Butts (2,097); and 10. Take out containers (1910).

Efforts to clean-up the oceans are in line with DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu’s thrust to promote clean water and strengthen compliance to the provisions outlined in the Clean Water Act.

Other interested parties who wished to join this international event as volunteers could visit DENR Western Visayas facebook page, and leave a message or may opt to call DENR 6-CDD Tel. no. 5034687 or 09465647013./DENR 6

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Parent Category: News & Events

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Published: 09 October 2019

(Left Picture) Eugene V. Domingo, Chief of Knowledge and Information Section discussed the Technical Bulletin No. 8-A "Adoption and Implementation of the Enhanced Forestry Information System. (Right Picture) Participants during the Enhanced Forestry Information System Workshop held at MO2 Westown Hotel, Smallville Complex, Mandurriao, Iloilo City.

 A two day Enhanced Forestry Information System (eFIS) Workshop was conducted at M02 Westown Hotel, Smallville Complex, Mandurriao, Iloilo City, recently.

Eugene V. Domingo, Chief of FMB-Knowledge and Information Section and Computer Programmer Arsenio R. Alonzo discussed the presentation of FNB Technical Bulletin No. 8-A which is the “Adoption and Impelementation of the Enhanced Foerstry Information System.”

The e-FIS is a web-based database integrated forestry application systems that provides efficient management of forest data that shall facilitate adequate data support to policy formulation and decision-making. It features the integration of geographical information system which the digital maps of tenured areas, protection forest and production forest and other land use to determine the right forest management system and tenured instruments.

 The workshop was led by ARD Livino B. Duran of Technical Services and graced by ARD Jesse L. Vego of Management Services. It was also attended by representatives from different divisions of the regional office, PENROs and CENROs.

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Parent Category: News & Events

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Published: 09 October 2019

RIVERS run through the center of each flourishing cities where they provide their most valuable resource: water. Left photo is the beautiful Esplanade that is strategically built near the Iloilo River as a tourism attraction. While right photo shows the ongoing development of the Malandog River, whose historical significance shaped the culture and heritage of Panay Island. This is where the famous landing of the ten Bornean datus was etched in the history of Antique province right up to this day.

            Most of the highly urbanized cities developed around a river system. This is so for humans needed the ecosystem services that only rivers can provide. Rivers are source of fresh water and help recharge the aquifer, support natural processes such as flood prevention, and provide habitats for plants and animals.

            Here in Western Visayas, most of our urban cities flourished near or around a river system. In Iloilo City, our Esplanades is built around the Iloilo River, giving both residents of the city and tourists fantastic, natural amenities while jogging or walking through it. Obviously, the benefits of living near a river cannot be understated.

            Upon seeing the beautiful changes of the Iloilo River and how it has become a tourist attraction for the city, DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu was moved to conclude that it would take political will and a united effort of all stakeholders to attain such change. He wanted to replicate the same kind of success for all rivers in the country.

            “Our clean rivers are a mirror of our good environmental governance. We need to clean the rivers in our respective areas of jurisdiction so that the people and environment benefit from it,” Cimatu told DENR field officials.

            Aside from the DENR officials and employees, Cimatu also encouraged the local government chief executives to be vigilant in implementing environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

“We aim to tap concerted action to protect the country’s rivers from degradation and pollution and ensure their suitability, sustainability, and further improvement,” Cimatu said.

Towards the realization of having clean rivers, DENR field offices have conducted river profiling of all the rivers in their areas of jurisdiction. River profiling is a tedious process that included the identification of threats for the river in order to craft the best solutions that can be done to reverse river degradation.

“It is a tall order from the good Secretary. Nonetheless, it will be DENR’s legacy both for the people and the environment. When we protect the environment, we protect the lives of the people as well,” said Francisco E. Milla, Jr., Regional Executive Director of DENR 6.

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Parent Category: News & Events

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Published: 08 October 2019