Sun.Star Baguio

Valley earns P13-M from toilets

- Kaizzer Khimberlee Ponce/ UP Baguio intern

CALL IT shitty business but La Trinidad is cashing in on pay toilets.

La Trinidad Councilor Roderick Awingan said pay toilets in the municipali­ty generates an income of over P11 to 13 million a year, enough to sustain and finance the appropriat­ions for personal services.

With the income, Awingan is seeking the approval of the ordinance prescribin­g the guidelines in the operation and maintenanc­e of the Municipal owned Toilets as Other Economic Enterprisr (OEE) of the municipali­ty.

In this ordinance, all pay toilets should be kept clean and in good condition and must comply to other sanitary maintenanc­e.

Councilor Henry Kipas said the ordinance should show the main objective of the project which is the improvment and maintenanc­e of the pay toilets.

“We should prove to the people that it needs to be carefully managed because it is a source of income”, Kipas said.

But Awingan added as much as they want to collect the income from these toilets, the main intention of the ordinance is to improve the services, and provide appropriat­e necessary guidelines for maintenanc­e and management of these economic enterprise.

At least seven pay toilets are operating in the valley located at the different areas in the town.

Awingan said will be a steering management committee to facilitate the immediate repair, maintenanc­e, and improvemen­t of all the pay toilets declared as an economic enterprise in the municipali­ty. Likewise, the committee will prepare the developmen­t of a business plan which will cover all relevant facets of the pay toilets operations, including management, staffing, risk analysis, sales, and marketing. Also, the committee shall facilitate the immediate procuremen­t and purchase of consumable­s,

equipment and other materials needed by any pay toilets in the municipali­ty.

The funding requiremen­ts of all the pay toilets will be sourced from its respective imcone or service fees.

Awingan also considered the suggestion of Councilor Guiller Galwan to add in the ordinance the steering committee will have a right to lease the facility to any private capable entity.

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