Pro-environment resolutions passed

BACOLOD CITY – The Sangguniang Panlungsod has approved three resolutions aimed at improving environmental conditions in the city.

The measures were recommended during the 1st Bacolod Solid Waste Management Summit conducted by the Office of the City Mayor, Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Ecology and Environment and the USLS Institute for Negros Development last April.

The first was sponsored by Councilors Jocelle Batapa-Sigue and Wilson Gamboa, Jr. and unanimously passed by the city council, requesting the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (DRRMO) through the Office of the City Mayor, Monico Puentevella, to submit an updated inventory of all illegal structures located beside city creeks which are considered as hazardprone areas.

The resolution also stressed that after consultation with environmental groups and advocates, there is a need to immediately secure such updated documents to achieve an effective risk management system in the City of Bacolod.

Also pointed out is the need for an extensive flood zoning program to pinpoint high-risk zones, high-population densities and substandard housing structures.

The city council also approved a resolution urging the Solid Waste Management Team through the Office of the City Mayor to strictly enforce the “No Segregation, No Collection” policy in the City of Bacolod as mandated under Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

The resolution states the Revised Ecological Solid Waste Management Ordinance of Bacolod City prioritizes volume reduction of waste and this can only be achieved by actively promoting the waste segregation at source. The support of the community will be sought through the barangay leaders, who are also encouraged to ensure that their respective communities are observing the proper segregation of solid waste.

The third resolution urges the barangays to submit a quarterly environmental report on their different strategies in the effective implementation and use of the solid waste management fund, which is a requirement to ensure that the target of “zero” waste is achieved. Under a City Ordinance, fifty percent (50%) share is allocated to each barangay from the proceeds of garbage service charges collected from business establishments.