DENR, Aklan gov’t to help in Boracay garbage hauling payment

AKLAN, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the provincial government of Aklan will help the municipal government of Malay settle its obligation with the ECOS Sanitary Landfill and Waste Management Corporation.

Acting Malay Mayor Floribar Bautista said the garbage collection problem was discussed with Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, and the latter agreed to partly shoulder the payment for the garbage collection and hauling services of ECOS.

The Malay government is facing difficulty in paying ECOS P95 million for its collection, hauling, and dumping services from January to June 2019 due to meager budget. Aside from the annual budget of P50 million to cover collection and hauling costs, the Sangguniang Bayan only approved a supplemental budget of P15 million.

Bautista said they already paid ECOS P30 million after the garbage hauler notified the Malay government of the unpaid payments.

“Ang kontrata ng ECOS ay hauling ng residual waste, hindi kasama ang mga debris na nahakot ng ECOS galing sa rehabilitasyon ng Boracay. Kaya tutulong ang DENR sa pagbayad sa ECOS sa hauling operations nila,” the mayor added.

(ECOS’ contract is for hauling residual waste and does not include debris from Boracay’s rehabilitation. That’s why DENR will help in paying ECOS for their hauling operations.)

Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores also committed to allocate part of the 15% share of the provincial government from environmental fees to pay ECOS.

Bautista said they already submitted the required supporting documents of the garbage collection and disposal contract to the Commission on Audit (COA). COA earlier questioned the P51.7-million payments to ECOS for the hauling of residual waste from August to December 2018.

ECOS has been hauling between 60 to 70 tons of trash daily in Boracay Island and dumping them in a sanitary landfill in Barangay Kabulihan in mainland Malay. 

ECOS dump trucks collect the garbage in collection points in the barangays of Yapak, Balabag, and Manocmanoc before transporting it to a staging area in Manocmanoc, where it is heaped by a barge to Sambiray Port in mainland Malay.

“Kaya lumaki ang billing ng ECOS dahil nahakot din nila ang mga debris. Malaki ang maitutulong ng DENR at ang provincial government sa ating bayarin sa ECOS,” Bautista said.

(The billing of ECOS increased because they also collected debris. DENR and the provincial government can help a lot in our payment to ECOS.) – Rappler.com