Garbage bins left unused
By Doris C. Bongcac
Cebu Daily News
Last updated 10:51am (Mla time) 07/18/2006
Stacks of over 100 imported brand-new garbage bins, purchased by Mandaue City at over $100 each, lie unused in a grassy lot in the North Reclamation Area.
The bins are part of the city government’s solid waste management program funded by a P100-million loan.
Why the receptacles were left in an unfinished portion of the Uniwide building raised questions about the progress of the city’s campaign to get residents to segregate biodegradable trash from plastics and other non-decomposing mater.
Five compactor trucks and over 5,800 garbage bins worth a total of P123 million were delivered to the city in December 2005.
Several of these tall gray bins can be seen in main streets of the city.
Engineer Rene Tariman, head of the Department of Government Services (DGS) of Mandaue City, told Cebu Daily News (CDN) that the bins seen were remaining units to be distributed to barangays.
He said there was some delay in distribution because some barangay officials had to be reeducated about waste management and did not cooperate with the program.
“Dili man na mahimo nga ederetso ug deploy kay naa pa may mga areas nga dili sila well educated of the campaign. Ang attitude man gyud sa taw ang lisud usbon. Naa pay mga barangays nga wala pa gyoy initiative (We can’t deliver the bins directly because there are some areas not yet educated about waste management. People’s attitudes are difficult to change. There are some barangays that have no initiative),” said Tariman.
Tariman said the bins were being fielded to various parts of the city “almost daily.”
He assured that they were properly stored in a covered portion of the unfinished Uniwide building located at the North Reclamation Area with government personnel there to secure it.
On Monday, CDN obtained a copy of a letter from Tariman dated May 26, asking permission from the city mayor to transfer the bins to an area near the old bridge where the city government will put up another warehouse.
CDN visited the Uniwide building last week and noticed wild grass growing among the piles of receptacles. The bins were stacked in groups of 10, left in an open space, posing risks of theft and vandalism.
An access road runs through the middle of the Uniwide building. The bins are kept at the other half of the building where the road opening was made. Roofing sheets are missing from the other half of the structure.
The bins were piled alongside pieces of wood that were donated to the city, scrap metal and other plastic products that appear to be portable toilets.
Solid Waste Management
The unused bins are among 8,502 garbage bins that the city government bought from a Singapore-based company.
Tariman said the hard plastic bins have a 15-year warranty and its colors do not easily fade.
Most of the purchased garbage bins have been distributed to barangay officials since February by a task force to main roads like A.C. Cortes Avenue and the national highways aside from some barangay roads.
The compactor trucks remain with the city government.
The city government allocated P123 million in 2005 for its transaction with Schaefer Systems International Pte. Ltd. based in Singapore, the bins supplier.
Of the amount, P110 million was taken from a loan negotiated by the city with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). The balance of P13 million came from the city’s coffers.
What Mandaue bought were 8,502 four-wheeled garbage bins made of high density polyethylene worth a total of P950,000 and five compactor trucks equipped with lifting devices worth P1.24 million.
The cost of the entire package was based on its selling price in US dollars or $2.2 million. With the exchange rate based on November 1, 2004, the city government had to pay P123 million.
The supply contract was awarded to Schaefer on the recommendation of a resolution dated February 23, 2005 of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) chaired by City Administrator Serafin Blanco.
It said the purchase was part of the city's 10-year integrated solid waste management plan and is in compliance with Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act.
Linda Ouano, wife of Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano and head of the city’s clean and green program, said the bins at the North Reclamation Area had to be stored there while officials are still evaluating which barangay needed them.
For now, barangays Cambaro and Subangdako as the ones that need more bins.
The rest, she said are still being educated about the city’s waste management program.
“Those bins there are reserved, because we cannot distribute all of them kay kung maguba ang uban, wala na ta’y reserba nga ikahulip,” Linda Ouano said.
The bins used to be placed inside the covered area at the Uniwide building but had to be transferred to an open area because Uniwide is now being leased by businessman Carlos Co.
Mrs. Ouano said the bins were ultraviolet-resistant and designed to withstand exposure to heat and rain. This means there is no difference in exposing the bins in the open area and when stationed in the streets of Mandaue.
“As of now, the garbage bins are distributed in the main thoroughfares. We are still evaluating if we will include the barangays and these remaining bins are for that purpose,” she said. /With reporter Kathy Navarro
Re: MANDAUE NEWS
? Tanan kamo taga Mandaue......
Originally Posted by dagget
Reply With Quote
Posting Permissions
