Iloilo towns hailed as ‘best solid waste implementers’

By John Noel E. Herrera

The towns of Ajuy and Bingawan in Iloilo province bested other local government units (LGUs) that participated in the search for the 2022 Gawad Kalinisan, Kalusugan at Kasaganaan Award (Gawad KKK) of the Iloilo Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO).

PGENRO said the two towns showed “successful and satisfactory performance” in the implementation of their solid waste management programs.

They each received a certificate of recognition and a P50,000 cash prize during the awarding ceremony on Tuesday, Nov 29, 2022 at Park Inn Hotel, Iloilo City.

The towns were assessed based on their environmental organization, education, engineering, enforcement, economic sustainability, pollution control program, health and sanitation, and urban space greening program.

While evaluators for the contest include representatives from the PENRO, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environment Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and other non-government agencies.

Bingawan Mayor Mark Palabrica cited the initiatives they made in their towns like the ‘MARK of Excellence Award’ as one of the reasons why they were awarded excellent performance assessment by the PGENRO.

“Ang MARK, meaning ya na Management of solid wastes, Adequate sanitation, Regreening of areas, and Knowledge sharing of best practices. So very effective siya (initiative in the town) and actually ang implementation sang solid waste management nga program. mabudlay kay kinahanglan gid ma-mobilize ang tanan-tanan nga mga pumuluyo, so gin paagi namon diri nga contest para makabulig ang tanan-tanan,” Palabrica said.

“It is really an honor and at the same time, dako man nga bulig sa banwa para ma-upgrade pa gid namon ang serbisyo, most especially sa implementation sang solid waste management program,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ajuy, Iloilo Mayor Jett Rojas also emphasized the role of LGUs as all the projects and initiatives related to waste management and climate change are vital for the protection of the environment.

Both towns of Ajuy and Bingawan were declared as Outstanding LGUs in Ecological and Sustainable Solid Waste Management System (Excellent Performance Assessment) after gaining a total score of 95 to 100 points.

The towns of Leganes, Tigbauan, Mina, Dumangas, Leon, Dingle, Oton, Janiuay, Barotac Viejo, Pavia, and Conception also had ‘ideal performance’ assessments with scores ranging from 90 to 94 points, and received a certificate of recognition and P40,000 cash prize, while the towns of Tubungan, New Lucena, Sta. Barbara, Lambunao, and Batad were given a ‘very satisfactory’ performance assessment with scores of 85 to 89 points, and were given a certificate of recognition and a P30,000 cash prize.

PGENRO also said that the Gawad KKK Award aims to recognize the effort of LGUs on ecological solid waste management and greening programs in the province; assess the effectiveness and sustainability of solid waste management and greening programs; increase community awareness and encourage other stakeholders to become more actively involved in environmental issues, and to establish and increase behavioral change among communities toward environmental protection and conservation.

PGENRO head Atty. Cesar Emmanuelle Buyco Jr. also urged all the LGUs to sustain their efforts as the projects should not stop even after the evaluation.