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| Laoag City engineer Roy Tomas and assistant city engineer Manuel Aurelio present to the media the proposed sanitary landfill site in Laoag City at Brgy. Balatong. (Doms dela Cruz) |
By Dominic B. dela Cruz
Staff Reporter
Laoag City—The planned sanitary landfill in this city nears realization after the Sangguniang Panlungsod allocated funds for its lot acquisition.
During a regular session, Laoag councilor Juan Conrado A. Respicio sponsored a resolution reverting the amount of PHP9,150,000 from “personal services savings” to “capital outlay” and appropriated the same for land acquisition.
Mr. Respicio said the said amount is available from the salary savings of vacant positions for the period January to June 2019.
He added that the amount is for the purchase of 6.7 hectare of lot intended for ecological solid waste management program of the city government.
The Ilocos Times learned that the council earlier allocated PHP2 million for the city engineering office for the same purpose for CY 2018; and another PHP2 million this year for a total of PHP4 million.
As such, the total allocated amount for land acquisition is now PHP13,150.000.
The city government plans to put up the landfill at Brgy. Balatong.
Mr. Respicio stressed that this project needs to be implemented immediately “without delay for a balance and healthful ecology and in the attainment of growth and sustainable development of the city”.
During the discussion, Laoag councilor Roger John C. Fariñas inquired about the approved appropriated budget when the earlier proposed budget for the said project was only PHP10 million.
The previous Sanggunian proposed the PHP10 million earlier intended for lot acquisition but the current Sanggunian disapproved this and realigned PHP8 million for road improvements and PHP2 million for lot acquisition.
City Assessor Engr. Ruben Domingo disclosed that the owners of the lot are all willing to sell their lots contrary to rumors that some owners withdrew their intention to sell.
He further said that the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources has also approved the necessary requirements for the construction of a sanitary landfill and that the it has again advised the city government for the closure of the existing open dumpsite.
The total amount for the acquisition of lot is P13,136,280 for the 6.7 hectare which was determined by the appraisal committee.
The committee arrived at P200 per sq. m. rate for the lots bounded by a road and P190 per sq. m for the lots without road.
City engineer Roy Tomas, for his part, thanked to the members of the city council for approving the amount intended for the acquisition of lots for the construction of a sanitary landfill.
According to Mr. Tomas, this has been proposed a long time ago and that volume of wastes being disposed at the present garbage dumpsite are continually increasing.
With this development, Mr. Tomas hopes that the city council would follow the approval of a resolution giving authority to the mayor with the lot owners for the deed of absolute sale.
He is also hopeful that the construction will start before the year ends in order to solve the present problem of the garbage dumpsite.
Assistant city engineer Manuel Aurelio said that the proposed sanitary landfill will a compartment-designed, digging the first 100 meters by 100 meters side with retaining walls with canals intended for rain waters not to contaminate the landfill.
“Daytoy to mismo pagbasuraanen ket maikkan to iti tobtobo a mapan to idiay leachate tapnu diay katas iti basura ma-treat before nga ag-overflow,” Mr. Aurelio stated.