The Pampanga provincial government is now considering three alternative waste management facilities in anticipation of the closure this month of the Kalangitan landfill, operated by the Metro Clark Waste Management.
Gov. Delta Pineda had earlier requested the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to initiate meetings with the management of the facilities, along with municipal environment officers.
During the meetings, the operators of the waste management facilities presented information relevant to their services and capacity to accommodate Pampanga’s solid waste, which is estimated at 1,150 metric tons per day.
Engr. Art Punzalan, Pampanga environment and natural resources officer, said that the Floridablanca Enviro Park Project Corporation, which operates a 91-hectare landfill in Brgy. Pabanlag, Floridablanca, met with the provincial board on September 23.
A subsidiary of Berjaya Philippines, Inc., the facility can accommodate 3,500 tons of solid waste per day.
Meanwhile, Prime Waste Solutions Inc., located in Brgy. Planas, Porac, which met with the Provincial Board on Sept. 30, has a capacity of 5,000 tons per day.
Operating a 48-hectare solid waste-to-fuel facility, it can reduce waste for final disposal to the landfill – with only 10 to 20 percent of waste going to landfills.
Punzalan said the municipal environment officers of Pampanga conducted an ocular inspection at the Prime Waste Solutions Inc. facility last Wednesday (Oct. 2) to see its actual operations.
Punzalan said the LGU’s main concern is to find alternative facilities that are compliant with the environmental laws and with capacities sufficient to receive the province’s waste.
“Gusto kasi ni Governor Pineda ay nakahanda tayo kaya isa-isa natin silang pinapatawag upang mabigyan ng pagkakataon na ilatag ang kanilang serbisyo at sinisiguro namin na aprubado ng DENR ang mga facilities na ito,” Punzalan said.
Another solid waste facility ready to provide waste management services to LGUs is the Eco Protect Management Corp. in Porac, a 34-hectare landfill with a capacity of 2,500 tons per day.
On October 1, the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) issued a statement that the publicly bidded contract of services of Metro Clark Waste Management is valid only until October 5, 2024.
“The Clark Development Corporation (CDC) is committed to upholding the principles of transparency and adherence to regulations in its operations. The Kalangitan Sanitary Landfill operates under a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) contract, which was publicly bidded and duly approved by the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines in 2000. CDC respects the sub judice rule, thus, it has taken a stand to refrain from commenting on issues now pending before the courts,” the statement said.
With this, CDC had already accredited Prime Waste Solutions Pampanga Inc. as “the first waste service provider.”
“In our efforts to ensure uninterrupted waste management within Clark, Prime Waste Solutions Pampanga Inc. has been accredited as the first waste service provider,” it stated.
The CDC furthered that they are in the process of accrediting additional applicants who have yet to complete the submission of their requirements, and the process wil run until October 5, 2024.
“Rest assured that CDC will remain steadfast in its commitment to make Clark environmentally sustainable,” the statement ended.
