In an endeavor to address pressing concerns on waste disposal in Tuguegarao City, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 2 convened barangay officials in the City for a Solid Waste Management (SWM) Summit held during the World Environment Day.

Over 100 barangay officials and information officers from the City’s 49 barangays joined said summit conducted in partnership with Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) and the City government.

“Tuguegarao City is the capital and seat of the regional government of Cagayan Valley that’s why we should strive to make it cleaner and greener,” said Regional Executive Director Gwendolyn Bambalan.

In line with the celebration of the World Environment Day and Philippine Environment Month, she made a call for a collective commitment and unwavering dedication among all barangay officials in building a sustainable environment for the future generation.

“Environmental management is a shared responsibility not only between the DENR and government officials but the public as a whole,” she added.

In his message, EMB Regional Director Nelson Honrado encouraged the participants to enforce waste segregation at source to substantially reduce to waste being generated or collected in their respective barangays.

Tuguegarao City Mayor Maila Ting-Que, represented by Executive Assistant Dr. Eric Ramirez, expressed her gratitude to the DENR for organizing a summit “that will empower barangay officials to strictly practice proper waste segregation and disposal in their areas of responsibility”.

During the summit, EMB Section Chief George Canapi lectured on the provisions of the Ecological SWM Act of 2000 including the roles of barangay local government units in implementing the said environmental law.

The participants were informed of the new garbage collection scheme of the City government through City ENR Officer Marcelino Gumabay.

He also reiterated the stringent implementation of the ‘no segregation, no collection’ policy of the City.

Splendor Cuarteros, chief of the water resources utilization section of DENR, also encouraged the participants to grow trees in identified potential green spaces in their respective barangays.

Apart from the orientation, the Search for Barangay Basura Buster in Tuguegarao City was launched during the Summit to encourage barangays in the sustainable implementation of proper solid waste management in their jurisdictions.#