In its recent National Stakeholders Conference, PHINLA reiterated the need for improvement in solid waste management in the country.
Waste is a problem that has an impact on economics, the environment, and
people's lives and livelihoods. Because a huge amount of garbage is openly
disposed of or burnt in low-income nations, the poor and most vulnerable
people suffer disproportionately.
PHINLA calls for improvement of solid waste management in the Philippines
Under the rapidly expanding urbanization, the solid waste management industry
in emerging nations will experience rising strain. The pursuit for progress
and economic growth by developing countries like the Philippines has resulted
in the manufacture, distribution and use of products and generation of waste,
more than half of which is openly dumped in landfill sites. This contributes
to environmental degradation and poses negative implications to health and
prosperity.
In response, World Vision Development Foundation and EcoWaste Coalition, with
funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Global
Development (BMZ), are implementing the PHINLA Project, a global program to
develop livelihood for poverty affected population through a multi-sectoral
established and monitored waste management system.
PHINLA (an acronym for Philippines, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka where the program
is being implemented) aims to assist the government in the implementation of
the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 and the National Framework
Plan for the Informal Waste Sector in the Philippines, specifically in three
pilot barangays in the country: Bagong Silangan in Quezon City; Cugman in
Cagayan De Oro City; and Mintal in Davao City.
“To address the issues surrounding high urbanization and the massive increase
of waste products in the island states of three implementing countries, a
multi-country Solid Waste Management (SWM) program was designed and is
currently being implemented for four years from 2019. This global program
intends to develop livelihood for poverty-affected populations through
systematic waste management systems sustainably established and monitored
through multi-sector cooperation,” said PHINLA Global Program Director Giorgi
Devidze.
PHINLA’s interventions are two-pronged: one deals with the barangay’s SWM
system and one with waste workers. Through PHINLA, the Barangay Ecological
Solid Waste Management Committee (BESWMC), a multistakeholder body which is
mandated by the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 or Republic Act
9003 to oversee the barangay’s ESWM program, was revived and
restructured.
Furthermore, Mintal Resource Collectors’ Association, Bagong Silangan Resource
Collectors’ Association, and Kabulig sa Kinaiyahan Association are formalized
and are included in the BESWMC of their respective barangays.
PHINLA also conducts series of training activities that build the technical
capacities of its beneficiaries, including training on financial literacy that
later gave birth to the establishment of the three barangays’ own
Community-Managed Savings and Credit Association (CoMSCA).
Randy Irog, one of the beneficiaries in Mintal, shared that he was able to
build a pig pen and triple his earnings monthly because of CoMSCA and PHINLA.
“Ang PHINLA, blessing kayo sa pamilya ko, sa aming lugar. Lumuwag talaga ang
buhay ko. Dito sa PHINLA ko naranasan na ako naman ang magbigay (PHINLA has
really been a blessing to my family and my community. My life has been better.
This is where I’ve experienced being the one to give to others),” Irog shared.
PHINLA Stakeholders’ Gathering
Three years after its launch, PHINLA held its National Stakeholders Conference
on November 23, 2022 at Luxent Hotel, Quezon City. This one-day conference
brought together international and national key officials and resource
collectors from the three project sites. It aimed to discuss policy and
adaptation gaps, highlight community savings and livelihood in implementing RA
9003, and formally recognize the achievements of resource collectors in the
three areas.
In the said conference, Cugman, Cagayan de Oro Chairman Wendelyn Escobia
admitted that there had been problems in their waste management system before
PHINLA came. They had delayed collection and improper waste management. There
was no permanent materials recovery facility, and they only had one dump truck
for waste collection. Residents were not fully aware of proper waste disposal.
“Through PHINLA’s guidance, we were able to craft policies in the barangay
about proper solid waste management that support the construction of an MRF
and the procurement of an additional dump truck for efficient garbage
collection. Also through the help of PHINLA, our waste collectors in Cugman no
longer spend a lot of time segregating wastes because it’s being done already
in the household level,” Escobia shared.
Escobia also amazed the crowd when he shared that more sand and less plastics
can now be found in their drainage system, a clear indication that the
residents are now properly disposing their solid waste.
Meanwhile, Chairman Rey Amador Bargamento of Barangay Mintal, Davao City
shared that as early as 2013, Mintal has already been intentional in
intensifying segregation at source. There was high compliance, but logistic
limitations took a toll on their campaign. They had no clear collection
schedule and had only one mini dump truck catering to 23 areas.
"When we started, we were lacking knowledge, equipment, and personnel. That's
why we are grateful that PHINLA partnered with us. We had training activities
already. We have the tools that we need. Our partnership with PHINLA helps us
in making segregation at source an ultimate goal in Barangay Mintal. It makes
our dream for a clean barangay closer to reality,” said Chairman Bargamento.
For Barangay Bagong Silangan, Joshua Asne, Sangguniang Kabataan Councilor and
a member of Bagong Silangan’s BESWMC, shared that through PHINLA’s help, more
than 500,000 kg of waste have been diverted in their barangay and it exceeded
their target diversion for 2022 by 29%.
“The success stories of our beneficiaries from Cugman, Mintal, and Bagong
Silangan only prove that with proper support, waste workers can work safely
and productively with dignity,” said World Vision Development Foundation
Executive Director Rommel Fuerte.
What is next for PHINLA?
A few more months remain in the current phase of PHINLA implementation, but
there’s no stopping the project management team from doing more. In fact, the
Philippine delegation for the Global Waste Management Committee has been
selected from among the conference participants. This is in line with the
program’s goal of replicating what PHINLA has been doing to establish good
solid waste management policies and good SWM practices at the national and
even global level.
“PHINLA Program will continue collaboration with relevant national and local
government representatives, private sector, and individual material collectors
to further improve the waste management sector function as well as enhance
income generation around recyclable materials to ensure the sustainability of
the activities and community-based waste management model. We will further
strive to nurture relationships of the three implementing countries—the
Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka—on the common issue of waste management
for better collaboration as well as for joint planning and implementation
process of improved waste management practices” Devidze ended.
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