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SUB MODULE II: Large Cities and Small Cities, MODULE: Urban Governance

9

GARBAGE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL SYSTEM IN LOS BANOS, LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES PART I 1. Introduction

In the town of Los Baños in the province of Laguna, Philippines, garbage collection and

disposal is a serious policy and planning concern, for two important reasons, namely:

(a) the municipality is experiencing rapid growth of population and commercial

establishments which generate ever larger amounts of municipal solid wastes; and (b)

its domestic or household waste disposal practices have been observed to have caused

a rise in solid waste related diseases, affected the environment, and contributed to

water pollution in municipal rivers and in Laguna Lake. Thus, concrete measures need

to be taken by the local government of Los Baños toward improving garbage collection

and disposal without further delay, not only for health and sanitation reasons but for

environment protection and the survival of the rivers and the lake itself.

This case study highlights the efforts of the municipal government of Los Baños from

1986 to 1997 to improve garbage collection and disposal in the municipality.

2. Background of the Study Area

In 1997, Los Baños was classified as a second class municipality with an average

income of Philippine Peso (PhP) 31 million over a period from 1994 to 1997. With this

income, the municipal government has to improve further its revenue-raising capacity

to be able to support the various public services, including garbage collection and

disposal.

Los Baños is located between the narrow shoreline plain of Laguna Lake's southern

shore and the northern foothills of the legendary Mount Makiling. Bounded by the

municipality of Calamba in the northeast, and the municipality of Bay in the southeast,

Los Baños is 65 kilometers south of Metro Manila and 65 kilometers north of Sta. Cruz,

the capital of the province of Laguna.

Los Baños has an area of 5,649.97 hectares. This constitutes 3.21 percent of the total


10

land area of Laguna province. It has 13 barangays,1 one of which is located in the

mountain of Mt. Makiling (Figure 1). Among the barangays of the municipality,

Barangay Batong Malake has the biggest land area with 1,769.35 hectares while

Barangay Baybayin, the smallest barangay has 27.48 hectares.

In terms of population and economic activities, Los Baños is one of the rapidly growing

municipalities in the province of Laguna. The census of 1995 recorded the population

of Los Baños at 71,683 or an increase of 1.8 percent over the 1990 census. The

annual growth rate from 1990 to 1995 was 3.5 percent. In 1995, Los Baños had a

population density of 13 persons per hectare. Barangay Bayog had the highest density

of 58 persons per hectare; while Barangay Bagong Silang had the lowest population

density with only one person per 1.4 hectares.


11

Figure 1. Map of Metro Manila

Figure 1. Map of Los Baños

FIGURE No. 1

NOT DRAWN TO SCALE

MUNICIPALITY OF LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, PHILIPPINESGARBAGE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL SYSTEM IN LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES: A CASE STUDY

1. ANOS 2. BAGONG SILANG 3. BAMBANG 4. BATONG MALAKE 5. BAYBAYIN (TOWN

PROPER) 6. BAYOG 7. LALAKAY

8. MAAHAS 9. MAYONDON 10. PUTHO-TUNTUNGIN 11. SAN ANTONIO 12. TADLAK 13. TIMUGAN 14. MALINTA (TOWN PROPER)

LEGEND BARANGAYS INCLUDED IN THE STUDY

BARANGAY PARTLY COVERED BY COLLECTION (COMMERCIAL AREA IS COVERED BY SWM SERVICE)

12

7 3

5


12

3. The Elements of Garbage Collection and Disposal

Solid wastes in Los Baños are produced by households, commercial and institutional

establishments, and the wet markets. About 50 percent of the total municipal wastes

reportedly come from households, with the other 50 percent contributed by

commercial and institutional establishments, and the wet markets (Luis, 1993:3).

It was difficult to obtain data concerning the quantity of household wastes in Los

Baños. Besides of the absence of weighbridge at disposal site, the garbage collected

cannot be accurately determined because the household wastes are likely to be eaten

by stray animals, retrieved by scavengers, and get decomposed, before they are

collected and disposed of.

Utilizing the waste generation value developed by the World Health Organization in

1978, the household waste generation rate in Los Baños is 28.6732 tons per day or

approximately 10,465.718 tons per year. The highest amount of daily household

waste is generated by Barangays Batong Malake (4.7608); Mayondon (4.5576); and

Putho-Tuntungin (3.0736). Barangays Bagong Silang (0.2644); Baybayin (0.6416);

and Tadlak (0.7092) generate the lowest amount of household waste per day.

Household wastes in Los Baños consist mainly of kitchen wastes; human and animal

waste; garden waste; factory returnables like cans, glass, bottles, dry paper, cardboard,

styrofoam, rubbers, dry cloth, and fiber; fine craft materials; and plastic disposable

materials. Roughly, one-half of the wastes generated by the households come from

food and kitchen wastes. These include vegetables and fruit peelings, leftovers,

vegetable trims, fish and fowl entrails, soft shell, and inedible seeds.

Similarly, household wastes are stored at home in different types of containers before

they are collected by garbage compactors. Examples of these are expendable plastic

bags and grocery bags. Metal and plastic cans, sacks, bamboo baskets, cooler box,

pails, and used basin are also used as on-site storage.

The household containers are sized to accommodate wastes generated by the family

normally for two or three days. Expensive and fancy looking bins or containers are not

utilized by the household for fear that these might be stolen or picked up by

scavengers or the garbage crew themselves.


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4. Health, Sanitation and Environmental Problems Arising From Household

Wastes in Los Baños

Health records of the Municipal Health Office of Los Baños (1991-1996) indicate that

human waste-related diseases such as parasitism, gastro-intestinal disorder,

dermatoses or skin diseases, respiratory tract infection, and fever rank high among the

10 leading causes of morbidity in the municipalities.

In particular, cases of intestinal parasitism, gastro intestinal tract disorder, and

diarrheal diseases ranked third, fourth, and eleventh, respectively, among the eleven

leading causes of morbidity in Los Baños. While no outbreak of communicable

diseases between 1992 to 1996 had been reported in Los Baños, these health data

should cause alarm not only among the municipal health offices but most especially on

the public on the potential health hazards of improper waste collection and disposal in

causing the spread of waste-related diseases. In this regard, the municipal health

office of Los Baños needs to be fully aware of their health potentials and take the

necessary precautions.

In Los Baños, wastes are dumped at the Jamboree Site in the place, which the local

population call "Smokey Mountain." In this area, wastes are disposed of in an

unsanitary manner. Not only does the site look unsightly, it emits unpleasant odours

and facilitates the breeding of mosquitoes and flies. Since no sustained efforts or

measures on the part of the municipal government are taken to treat wastes at the

dumpsite, the risks are water and air pollution are high. An interview with some

residents around the dumpsite revealed that much of these wastes find their way to

the low lying communities in Los Baños and the Laguna Lake through water courses.

Furthermore, during the rainy season, the air in the dumpsite becomes polluted with

offensive odours; while during the dry season, the area becomes dusty and strong

winds blow wastes like plastic, papers, etc. several hundred meters away. In fact,

some of these wastes have even been seen hanging from nearby trees and posts.

There is also aesthetic damage caused to the physical surroundings by household

wastes thrown along the roads, streets, curbs, and vacant lots. Unsightly and stinking

rotten garbage piles mar the pleasant ambiance and general cleanliness of the place.

Added to this, open dump disposal invariably lessens the real estate values of adjacent


14

land and properties. Understandably, people refuse to establish residence in the areas

near the dumpsite because of health, hygienic and environmental reasons.

While garbage collection is not neglected in Los Baños, collection in some barangays

of the municipality remains inadequate. For instance, litters and garbage piles along

main streets and vacant lots of some barangays are common sight. Apparently, wastes

are brought outside the house even before the scheduled collection time and day. The

garbage are either scattered by animals or get blown by the wind. It has also been

noted that wastes are indiscriminately dumped into the rivers and streams and find

their way to Laguna Lake. The use of canals, streams, and rivers for household

wastes disposal also impairs the flow of water.

5. Measures to Improve Garbage Collection and Disposal: 1986-1997

During the period from 1986 to 1997, the municipal government of Los Baños initiated

varied strategies to solve the problems of garbage collection and disposal, most of

which were in the form of ordinances and resolutions. In the above 12-year period,

legislative initiatives on garbage collection and disposal of the municipal government of

Los Baños continued to increase. The municipal council enacted 12 ordinances and

passed 35 resolutions relating to garbage collection and disposal. In addition, the local

chief executive initiated improvements in transport, dumpsite, garbage collection and

disposal organization and manpower to sustain garbage collection and disposal service.

6. Content of the Interventions/Strategies

Ordinances

From 1986 to 1997, the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) (Municipal Council) of Los Baños

enacted 12 waste-related ordinances (Table 1). Eight of these provided appropriations

for garbage collection and disposal services while three ordinances set rules and

regulations against littering and wanton dumping of wastes in public places, canals,

rivers, creeks, and the coastal area of Laguna Lake. The other one authorized the

municipal mayor of Los Baños to sign a memorandum of agreement with the officials

of University of the Philippines at Los Baños and the municipal mayor of Bay, Laguna

to establish a common sanitary landfill for their refuse.


15

Table 1. SUMMARY OF ORDINANCES ON SWM, 1986-1997 LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA

YEAR CLASSIFICATION BY SUBJECT MATTER

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

TOTAL

1. Appropriations -Procured and

repaired garbage collection and disposal vehicles/ equipment and other SWM service facilities.

2. Prohibition of

Certain Acts -Prohibited littering

and arbitrary dumping of garbage in public places, canals, streets, parks, creeks, rivers, and the Laguna Lake.

3. Grant of Authority

to Acquire Landfill -Granted authority

to the municipal mayor of Los Baños to acquire a municipal sanitary landfill.

1

1

1 1

2

1

1

4

3

TOTAL

1

1

2

2

1

1

8

(Source) Sangguniang Bayan Los Baños, Laguna, 1997

a) Appropriations

In twelve fiscal years (FYs) from 1986 to 1997, the municipal government appropriated

an aggregate amount of P8, 312,699. Table 2 provides data on the breakdown of the

appropriation proposed for garbage collection and disposal services for the FY 1986 to

1997. The appropriations were budgeted to pay for the salaries and wages of the

garbage personnel and the purchase of dump trucks and pushcarts. They were also

spent for the maintenance and operation, the construction of communal bins, and the

procurement of treatment chemicals. About P5,871,904 (70.64 percent) of the


16

appropriations went to the salaries and wages of the garbage workers while

P1,576,000 (18.96 per cent) was allocated to the maintenance of garbage equipment

and dumpsite. On the other hand, P846,995 (10.19 per cent) of the appropriation was

set aside for the procurement of dump trucks and the construction of communal bins,

and P17,800 (0.21 per cent) for treatment chemicals.

The appropriations for the municipal garbage collection and disposal were proposed

generally to improve the physical facilities of garbage collection, e.g. garbage trucks,

push carts, and communal bins. This may indicate that either the members of the

council were not aware of any other options to improve the municipal garbage

collection and disposal or were convinced that investments on dumpsite, garbage

trucks and other collection equipment alone were sufficient to solve problems in

garbage collection and disposal confronting the municipality. According to one member

of the SB, the council considered garbage trucks, bins and pushcarts as common needs

in garbage collection and disposal, which the municipal government must always

provide in order to sustain the municipal garbage collection and disposal services.

The bulk of the appropriations were allotted to collection while a very small share was

budgeted to disposal. The reason given by the Office of the Municipal Treasurer was

that the municipal government should spend more for collection because it assumed

the collection responsibility of the entire municipality including the collection services of

its barangays. On the other hand, the appropriation allotted to the disposal

component was very minimal because the use of the dumpsite was free. To a certain

extent, this argument was correct. However, the municipal government failed to

realize that the existing dumpsite was degrading the surrounding environment and

there was a need to improve the physical conditions of the dumpsite, which entail

certain costs. For example, the municipal government should treat the garbage with

chemicals regularly to stop its odor from spreading. It could also construct concrete

walls around the dumping area to prevent garbage from spilling over to the adjacent

vegetation.


17

Table 2. PROPOSED APPROPRIATIONS FOR SWM , 1986-1997 LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA (IN PESOS)

YEAR ACTIVITIES

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

TOTAL

PERCENTAGE TO TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS

1986-1997

A. COLLECTION - Salaries and wages of SWM workers

- Purchase of Dump Trucks and Other Collection Equipment

. Maintenance and Operation (spare parts, gasoline, repair)

-Construction of right of way and fence around the dump site

25,000

2,200

50,124

75,096

75,096

10,000

75,096

75,096

99,995

66,000

37,000

470,100

250,000

639,591

250,,000

955,570

247,000

250,000

1,122,805

250,000

1,154,165

500,000

250,000

1,154,165

250,000

5,871,904 846,995 1,576,000

70.33

10.14

18.88

0.44

SUB-TOTAL

27,200

50,124

75,096

85,096

75,096

241,128

720,100

889,591

1,452,57

0

1,372,80

5

1,904,165

1,404,165

8,331,89

9

99.79

B. DISPOSAL . Purchase of Treatment Chemicals

5,000

12,800

17800

0.21

SUB-TOTAL

5,000

12,800

17,800

0.21

GRAND TOTAL

27,200

50,124

75,096

85,096

75,096

241,128

730,100

889,591

1,452,570

1,372,80

5

1,904,16

5

1,416,96

5

8,349,69

9

100

(Source) Municipal Accountant Municipal Executive Budget, 1986-97 Sangguniang Bayan , Los Baños, Laguna


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b) Regulations

The tasks of the municipal government to improve garbage collection and disposal

were also directed at establishing measures to regulate littering and indiscriminate

disposal of wastes. Between 1986 and 1997, the Sangguniang Bayan of Los Baños

enacted three ordinances directed at penalizing littering and the deliberate dumping of

wastes in public areas. These were: Municipal Ordinance No. 6, Series 1988 (“An

ordinance penalizing littering and dumping of garbage in public places, roads, canals,

streets, parks, and premises of every private, public, commercial or industrial

establishments”); Municipal Ordinance No. 29, Series 1992 (“An ordinance on the

implementation of proper waste collection and disposal in the municipality of Los

Baños - classification of wastes; service fee for special waste and the fines for every

violation”); and Municipal Ordinance No. 5, Series 1994 (“An ordinance prescribing the

use and issuance of a ‘Sanitation Citation Ticket’ when a violation of any existing town

sanitation and/or environmental protection ordinance is committed and for other

purposes”).

The existing ordinances on garbage collection and disposal are obviously outdated.

These regulations had not kept up with the changing orientation of the municipal

garbage collection and disposal and thus limited their usefulness to address problems

in garbage collection and disposal in Los Baños. Generally, these regulations expressed

very narrow concerns. Specifically, these regulations considered garbage as “throw

away “and “useless” materials which caused pollution and posed health risks. Hence,

it was important to control unnecessary dumping and littering; and to penalize

violators. These ordinances were, therefore, primarily punitive and dealt with the

general tidiness of the garbage in the municipality. However, with the continuous

increase in population, indiscriminate dumping had become widespread and punitive

actions against illegal dumpers had not been sufficient to ensure the cleanliness of the

municipality.

In addition, the ordinances did not provide a concrete mechanism to properly enforce

the rules on garbage collection and disposal and to monitor compliance thereto.

Apparently, the municipal government assumed that these rules were self-regulating

and households would respond accordingly.

c) Authority to Negotiate for Sanitary Landfill


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Municipal Ordinance 85, Series of 1996 (“An ordinance authorizing the Honorable

Municipal Mayor of Los Baños to sign Memorandum of Agreement on the landfill at

Pasong Kipot, Bay, Laguna; with UPLB, DENR-Region IV, and the Acting Municipal

Mayor of Bay, Laguna”) was issued to authorize the Municipal Mayor of Los Baños to

sign a memorandum of agreement with the officials of the University of the Philippines

at Los Baños and the municipal Mayor of Bay, Laguna to establish a sanitary landfill for

their common use. Los Baños needed an alternative disposal site for its refuse. In an

interview with a former garbage collection and disposal employee of the municipal

government, it was revealed that the municipal officials were pressured by various

sectors in the municipality to close the existing dumpsite due to the health and

environmental hazards it posed to the surrounding areas and communities downstream.

It was generally acknowledged that the establishment of a non-polluting disposal

facility could mitigate health risks and environmental hazards to the municipality.

7. Resolutions

The resolutions initiated from 1986 to 1997 focused on different aspects of garbage

collection and disposal (Table 3). They ranged from the routinary request for donation

of garbage trucks to the more substantive strategies of delegating authority in garbage

collection to the barangays. Briefly, these resolutions dealt with: (a) request from

various sectors for garbage vehicles/ equipment; (b) appropriation to procure garbage

vehicles/equipment and meet financial obligations on garbage related activities; (c)

delegation of authority in garbage collection and disposal to barangay captains; (d)

grant to barangays of a 50 percent share generated from the issuance of Sanitation

Citation Ticket to violators of existing sanitation and environmental ordinances of Los

Baños; (e) grant of authority to the municipal mayor of Los Baños to sign

memorandum of agreement on sanitary landfill with other government offices, and

acquire compactors for barangays; and (f) expression of thanks to donors of garbage

equipment.


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Table 3. SUMMARY OF RESOLUTIONS ON SWM, 1986-1997 LOS BANOS, LAGUNA

YEAR

CLASSIFICATION BY SUBJECT MATTER

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

TOTAL

1. Budgetary

Appropriation -Procurement of

garbage trucks/ equipment; other SWM-related expenses.

2. Grant Authority to

Establish Sanitary Landfill and Donate Garbage Truck

. Granting authority

to the municipal mayor of Los Baños to acquire a municipal sanitary landfill and compactor.

-Granting authority to

the municipal mayor of Los Baños to hire and donate garbage truck; and transfer supervision of one compactor each to cluster barangays.

3. Request Garbage

trucks/Equipment -Requesting garbage

vehicles/equipment from national government agencies/officials.

-Requesting garbage trucks/equipment from private sector and foreign governments.

4. Delegation of

Authority -Delegating authority

and responsibility to perform garbage collection and

2

1

1 1

1

1

1 1

1

2 2

1 3

1 3 1

2 3

7 3 4 8 6


21


YEAR


1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

TOTAL

disposal to barangay

captains of Los Baños.

5. Grant of 50 Percent

Share from the Issuance of Sanitation Citation Ticket

-Granting to all

barangays in Los Baños a 50 percent share of collection from sanitation citation ticket imposed on violators of existing ordinances against indiscriminate dumping of wastes.

6. Creation of Task

Force -Creating a task

force to conduct a cleanliness drive in all barangays in Los Baños.

7. Expression of

Support to Proposed SWM Project

-Expressing to

support the SWM Project ((CALA-UDEMP, PHASE I) of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)

8. Expression of

Thanks -Expressing gratitude

to donors of garbage trucks/ other SWM

1

1 1

1

1 1 1 1


22


YEAR


1986 1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

TOTAL

equipment to the Municipal Government of Los Baños.

1

1

1

3

TOTAL

2

1

2

1

1

2

3

7

5

5

6

35

(Source) Sangguniang Bayan Los Baños, Laguna December 1997

8. Executive Measures

From 1986 to 1997, the municipality of Los Baños had two Municipal Mayors. The first

one was appointed by President Corazon C. Aquino in 1986 after EDSA revolution. He

served as Officer-in-Charge of the municipal government for two years. In 1988, he

ran for Municipal Mayor but lost. The succeeding Mayor served three terms. His

election in 1995 was his third and last term. During their terms of office, both Mayors

paid close attention to municipal garbage collection and disposal in terms of translating

legislative initiatives on garbage collection and disposal into concrete activities, and in

initiating other activities supportive of municipal garbage collection and disposal (Table

4).


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Table 4. SUMMARY OF EXECUTIVE RESPONSES TO SWM PROBLEMS, 1986-1997

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA

EXECUTIVE RESPONSES: Programs, Activities

YEAR

Requested Collection/ Disposal

Equipment

Visited

Collection Area/Site

Initiated SWM-

Related Ordinance

Created

SWM Unit/Task Force

Sought Alternative/

Disposal Site

Implemented

Clean and Green

Program

1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

1 2 3 2 3 1

Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

1

1 1

1 1

1 1 1

TOTAL

12

Daily since 1992

(exclu-sive of Sat. and

Sun.)

1

2

2

3

(Source) Office of the Municipal Mayor Los Baños, Laguna, 1997

During his brief term as officer-in charge, the Cory-appointed Mayor contributed limited

but important improvements in garbage collection and disposal services. In 1986,

when he assumed office, the municipality was confronted with enormous garbage

collection and disposal problems. For instance, wanton dumping was widespread and

uncollected wastes along the highway, vacant lots, and major roads were common

sights. This was aggravated by lack of garbage trucks to step-up collection. The

existing garbage trucks were old and needed repairs and the municipal government did

not have the funds to acquire new garbage trucks. Thus, between 1986 and 1987, this

mayor solicited dump truck or disposable vehicle from the National Irrigation Authority

(NIA), the Department of Interior and Local Government, and the International Rice

Research Institute (IRRI).

He also initiated the adoption of Municipal Ordinance No. 6, Series of 1988 to induce

compliance with proper disposal of wastes. The ordinance amended Municipal


24

Ordinance No. 7, Series of 1975 (“An ordinance penalizing littering and dumping in

public places) by increasing the penalty for indiscriminate dumping from P5.50 (first

offence) and P10.00 (second offence) to P25.00 (first offence) and P50.00 (second

offence)”). This increase was recommended to deter irresponsible disposal of wastes

in prohibited places. In addition, he appropriated a specific amount to purchase

pushcarts and spading forks to be used by the street sweepers to collect litter and

household wastes in areas outside the collection routes and deposit them in communal

bins.

For his part, the incumbent Mayor gave priority to municipal garbage collection and

disposal. Part of his daily official activities was devoted to checking of the general

cleanliness of some parts of the municipality. Every morning, before going to his office,

the incumbent municipal Mayor would make a quick visit of the highway inside the

town, some major streets, and around the poblacion2 to check on the uncollected

garbage. The Mayor would instruct the garbage collection and disposal personnel to

haul piles of uncollected garbage sighted in areas he visited.

The Municipal Mayor also introduced changes in the existing organization of garbage

collection and disposal services of Los Baños. In 1992, upon approval of the 1991

Local Government Code, the local chief executive transferred the supervision of

garbage collection and disposal from the Municipal Health Office to the Office of the

Mayor to enable him to personally attend to problems on garbage collection and

disposal. In this regard, he created the General Services unit under the office of the

Mayor. The office was assigned the task of waste collection and disposal. He

appointed a technical assistant to supervise the service and hired garbage collectors

and additional street sweepers to maintain the cleanliness of various parts of the

municipality.

Furthermore, he initiated other garbage collection and disposal-related activities to

sustain garbage collection and disposal services in the municipality. He borrowed

collection vehicles from the UPLB and the IRRI to haul garbage of the municipality, and

heavy equipment from the district offices of DPWH and DENR to improve and widen

the existing municipal dump site. He also requested garbage trucks from the Office of

the President through the Presidential Management Staff. According to the garbage

collection and disposal personnel, the Municipal Mayor had to seek outside assistance

for garbage collection and disposal services due to the municipality's lack of garbage


25

vehicles and the lack of resources to acquire the necessary vehicles and equipment.

Finally, the Municipal Mayor also sought ways to transfer the existing dumpsite of Los

Baños to a safe and secure area because of persistent pressure from different sectors

in the municipality to close the present disposal site. In 1996, the municipal mayor

signed a memorandum of agreement with UP at Los Baños and a neighbor municipality

of Bay to establish a common sanitary landfill for their refuse. The plan was set aside

due to the huge financial construction costs involved. He also signed a memorandum

of agreement with the five adjacent municipalities of Calamba, Cabuyao, Biñan, Sta.

Rosa and San Pedro to build a common sanitary landfill for their garbage based on a

recommendation by the Cavite-Laguna (CALA) Urban Development Environmental

Management Project (UDEMP), Phase I, Study conducted by NEDA, Region IV. An

action program for the implementation of the sanitary landfill was proposed to be

jointly prepared by the five municipalities.


26

Part II: Assessment of Executive and Legislative Measures in the Past Decade: 1986-1997

The preceding factual description shows that from 1986 to 1997, the municipal

government of Los Baños pursued varied but limited strategies to municipal garbage

collection and disposal. Most of these were introduced by the Sangguniang Bayan in

the form of ordinances and resolutions. In addition, the local chief executive

implemented specific activities on garbage collection and disposal. An analysis of these

initiatives revealed that most of these measures were implemented with satisfactory

results. However, despite realization of the intentions of most of them, the over-all

efforts of the municipal government at improving and expanding the municipal garbage

collection and disposal leave much to be desired. To some extent, these interventions

or strategies indicate inherent deficiencies that have far-reaching implications on the

efficiency and long-term improvements in municipal garbage collection and disposal

system. The following discussion examines the inadequacies as well as strength of the

strategies in the last decade.

1. Inadequate Responses and Strategies

(a). The responses were repetitive, less substantive and represented a limited mix of

measures that had no tangible effects on the improvement of the municipal garbage

collection and disposal system due to their non-implementation. The responses also

showed that the municipal government did not have the capability to formulate a more

comprehensive and substantive measures to garbage collection and disposal.

(b). The responses had narrow concern. They were essentially directed at improving

the physical component of garbage collection and disposal or its logistic support such

as garbage vehicles, dump sites, etc. Although the physical elements were essential to

municipal garbage collection and disposal, their effects on the cleanliness, sanitation

and environmental protection in the study area were limited and short-termed. The

fact was that garbage collection and disposal in large municipality like Los Baños had

become a complex activity because of, among others, rapid urbanization. Under these

circumstances, problems related to garbage collection and disposal activities should be

seen in a broader context in which the physical solution forms only a part.

The limited concern of the responses was also evident in its emphasis on enhancing


27

the collection aspect of garbage collection and disposal services. An analysis of the

strategies of the municipal government to municipal garbage collection and disposal

revealed that these were directed at improving the collection component and neglected

the disposal aspect. The emphasis on collection had resulted in the wanton disposal of

garbage and the deterioration of dumpsite. Rotten and uncollected solid wastes were

common sights in public places, including canals, stream and rivers. On the other

hand, the sites was fled up and posed considerable danger to the surrounding

vegetation and communities downstream.

Likewise, this was reflected in the area coverage of garbage collection service. Regular

collection was generally confined to the town center where major commercial and the

institutional activities, and high-income residential and housing subdivision areas were

heavily concentrated. In Los Baños collection was limited to seven barangays and

covered a mere 40 per cent of the municipal population (Figure 2). Furthermore,

within the service area, collection was limited to major streets and along commercial

establishments and housing subdivision, and neglected other heavily populated

peripheral areas.

(c). Furthermore, the responses were reactive. These were basically responses to

problems of garbage collection and disposal as they occurred periodically and not as

integral parts of a broader programmed responses of the municipal governments to

garbage collection and disposal. These responses may have brought some positive

effects but had failed to achieve significant long-term improvements in terms of

efficiency and compliance with environmental requirements.


28

Figure 2. Collection Route

MT. MAKILING

RESETLEMENT

INTERNATIONAL

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF FORESTRY

BOYSCOUT

BAYOG

MAAHAS

BATONG MALAKE

SAN ANTONIO

MALINTA

BAMBANG

A A

UNIVERSITY OF

DEPT. OF

PUBLIC

JAMAICA

FIGURE No.

2

NOT DRAWN

TO SCALE

COLLECTION ROUTE

GARBAGE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL SYSTEM IN LOS BANOS, LAGUNA, IN PHILIPPINES NORTH

LEGEND DAILY COLLECTION

1 OR 2X A MONTH COLLECTION

NATIONAL HIGHWAY/ ROAD

BARANGAYS

COVERED BY COLLECTION BARANGAY NOT COVERED BY

COLLECTION PROVINCIAL ROAD DUMPSITE


29

2. Absence of a Clear Policy and Planning Framework

The deficiencies of the responses were tied up with the lack of a clear policy and

planning framework, e.g., policy directions, strategic garbage collection and disposal

plan, well-defined institutional arrangement and competent technical staff, adequate

funds, appropriate technology, sustained information dissemination, operational

regulatory measures, barangay and community participation, that supports the

municipal garbage collection and disposal program.

a. The municipal government had adequate authority to plan and implement garbage

collection and disposal programs. However, this authority was not fully used to

improve municipal garbage collection and disposal system. The implementing

municipal government lacked explicit and well-defined policies for municipal garbage

collection and disposal, which were necessary to provide directions in program

planning and implementation. Corollary to this was the absence of a strategic plan

that addresses present and future improvements in garbage collection and disposal as

spelled out in the policy directions. The study showed that the lack of a clear policy

directions and garbage collection and disposal plan in Los Baños was the weak link in

coping with the ever-increasing quantity and characteristics of solid wastes.

b. The municipal government lacked the viable organization and the competent

technical staff to plan and implement garbage collection and disposal programs and

projects. The municipality of Los Baños did not have specific structure and competent

staff to carry out the activities of the municipal garbage collection and disposal

program. This lack of a well-defined structure and competent technical staff to

manage garbage collection and disposal programs accounted partly for the inefficiency

of the garbage collection and disposal services in the study area.

c. The financial support for garbage collection and disposal programs in Los Baños

was inadequate. The funds provided by the municipal governments for their garbage

collection and disposal services from 1986 to 1997 supported limited range of garbage

collection and disposal activities that failed to bring about quality collection and

disposal services during the 12-year period. Increasing financial support for municipal

garbage collection and disposal programs in Los Baños posed a challenge to the

municipal government concerned to look for ways and means to strengthen the

financial base of garbage collection and disposal to ensure an improved waste


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collection and disposal services.

d. There was no organized and sustained information dissemination on garbage

collection and disposal at the community level in the study area. Information

dissemination on garbage collection and disposal was occasional and was tucked on

campaign against unnecessary waste disposal in public areas or with directive or

program from the national government such as the “clean and green program”

imposed on Local Government Units for implementation. To be effective, information

dissemination on garbage collection and disposal should be regularized and be

broadened to address critical issues of waste prevention and waste minimization, why

community do not manage wastes, and what combination of technical and educational

changes are needed to achieve best results.

e. There was lack of appreciation on the part of the municipal government of the

study area on the relative usefulness of appropriate technology for garbage collection

and disposal. This observation could be explained by the fact that the municipal

government did not adopt a package of technology that could enhance municipal

garbage collection and disposal system. There are appropriate technologies on

garbage collection and disposal that the municipal government in the study area could

use to strengthen the collection and disposal programs. These include processes,

equipment and facilities, e.g., recycling, recovery and re-use; on-site storage for high

and middle income area and communal stationary container for low-income area; push

carts, manually operated composting plants, sanitary land fill, and methods to utilize

these processes and facilities most efficiently, e.g., planning, community participation,

viable organization, managerial and technical expertise, information management and

financial administration.

f. The enforcement of regulations on garbage collection and disposal was weak. It did

not ensured proper waste disposal in prohibited areas. The enforcement was

hampered by the lack of capacity on the part of the local authority to monitor

compliance and apply enforcement procedures. Furthermore, the regulations were

outdated. Their primary concern of controlling indiscriminate dumping to maintain the

general cleanliness and sanitation of the municipality was not effective in sustaining

quality collection and disposal services. An effective and operational regulation on

municipal garbage collection and disposal should be supported with concrete programs

on waste reduction and recovery at source, information dissemination, and barangay


31

and community participation, among others, to ensure effective implementation.

g. There was lack of involvement of the barangays and the community or the private

sector (NGOs, civic organizations, the business sector, the neighbourhood group and

the community-at-large) in garbage collection and disposal. The study indicated that

the barangays covered by the collection services had, if at all, very little involvement in

the municipal garbage collection and disposal. Their participation was limited to

implementing regulations against unnecessary disposal of wastes, and disseminating

information on routine matters of collection services such as a change in collection

schedule, pick-up points and penalties for violation. The barangay captains refused to

assume the responsibility over garbage collection and disposal despite awareness of

their authority to organize garbage collection services in their respective areas due to

financial and manpower constraints.

On the other hand, there was no evidence to show that the public participated in the

garbage collection and disposal program of the municipalities. The study pointed out

that there was no mechanism in which the community’s views could be expressed and

could influence improvements in garbage collection and disposal. Obviously, the

municipal government of Los Baños followed a “top-down” process in securing

compliance with proper garbage disposal rather that seek people’s participation and

identify their concerns, and draw from them their views regarding garbage collection

and disposal.

3. Weak Administrative Capability to Undertake Garbage Collection and

Disposal Services

The inadequacies of the responses of Los Baños to garbage collection and disposal

appeared to be related to its administrative capability to undertake substantive

programs to enhance the garbage collection and disposal service.

In Los Baños, the inadequacy of garbage collection and disposal program was partly

due to the limited financial resources of the municipal government. The lack of funds

hampered the municipal government to undertake the necessary improvements in

garbage collection and disposal service. It was also due to the lack of a viable

structure and competent technical staff for garbage collection and disposal, and the

absence of inter-barangay or private sector cooperation. These deficiencies prevented


32

the municipal government from preparing a workable plans and programs on garbage

collection and disposal for the municipality.

The attention of the incumbent local chief executive to municipal garbage collection

and disposal, however, had contributed concrete but limited improvements in garbage

collection service. In 1993, he personally requested the Office of the President of the

Philippines two compactors and one dump truck, which were released in the following

year. He also provided directions in the day-to-day operation of garbage collection and

disposal by giving instructions to the garbage crew on how collection could be done.

In addition, he moved around daily to inspect the highway, major streets and some

areas in the town center. Through his regular routine of driving around some parts of

the municipality, he was able to check on uncollected garbage in these areas.

Lessons Learned and Further Challenges

The measures and the strategies used by the municipal government of Los Baños to its

garbage collection and disposal system were not effective in bringing about significant

and long-term improvements in garbage collection and disposal services. The findings

presented earlier in this case showed that these measures had inherent weaknesses,

e.g., routinary, limited concerns and coverage, reactive that hindered satisfactory

performance of garbage collection and disposal services. These inadequacies were

reinforced by the absence of an explicit policy and planning framework that addresses

present and future directions and improvements in garbage collection and disposal

system. Similarly, the study indicated that Los Baños lacked both financial and

technical capability. All these contributed to the failure of the municipal government to

provide an effective garbage collection and disposal services to the community.

The study has a modest contribution to the discipline of local governance in that - it

brought into focus substantive institutional and procedural issues that are critical to

effective policy and planning of municipal governments to development programs such

as garbage collection and disposal. These may be summarized as follows:

First, the responses of the municipal government of Los Baños to problems of garbage

collection and disposal from 1886 to 1997 were less substantive. Specifically, these

measures were routinary and had limited concerns. These were primarily directed at

addressing the physical aspect of the program. While these responses may have, to a


33

certain extent, contributed positive results, these were not sufficient in bringing about

sustained and improved garbage collection and disposal services. The municipal

garbage collection and disposal has varied components. Besides the physical, it has

economic, environmental, social, technological, and politico-administrative aspects

were not properly addressed. These factors are necessary to ensure the efficient

(present and future) operations of municipal garbage collection and disposal program.

Furthermore, the responses was biased to a specific land uses. The measures had

generally been initiated to sustain garbage collection and disposal services in the town

center (poblacion) where economic and institutional activities, and the more affluent

residential areas were heavily concentrated. Thus, these had neglected the peripheral

areas whose residents comprised almost 70 per cent of the entire municipal population.

Obviously, the program favored the town core and the few high-income communities.

As a consequence, it encouraged unnecessary dumping and pollution loading of canals,

streams, municipal rivers, and Laguna Lake with solid wastes. Several families in the

peripheral areas lived along creeks, rives and shore of the lake. Without collection

services, these families used these bodies of water as disposal sites for their garbage.

Second, the inadequacies of the garbage collection and disposal services in the study

area could be traced partly to the absence of a concrete policy and planning

framework to sustain long-term improvements of municipal garbage collection and

disposal system. In particular, there were no policy directions and strategic plans for

garbage collection and disposal. This could account for the routinary, narrow and

reactive responses of the municipal government to garbage collection and disposal.

This could also explain the lack of a well-defined organizational arrangement and

competent technical staff for garbage collection and disposal, appropriate technology,

sustained information dissemination, inadequate funds, operational regulatory

measures, and barangay and community participation.

Finally, the performance of the municipal garbage collection and disposal program was

affected by the administrative capability of the municipal governments to operate,

manage, and sustain the delivery of garbage collection and disposal services. The lack

of a well-defined organizational structure and technical staff, political support of the

local chief executive, inadequate funds and collection equipment, and inter-barangay

(or inter-municipal) and private sector cooperation are issues that should be

considered in the delivery of garbage collection and disposal services.


34

Topics for Discussion 1. What are the types of household wastes (waste characterization)?

2. What are the health, sanitation and environmental problems arising from

household wastes?

3. What policy and planning measures or strategies were devised by the municipality

in response to problems involving the collection and disposal of domestic wastes

from 1986 to 1997?

4. Did the measures or strategies contribute to the improvement of the domestic

garbage collection and disposal of the study area?

5. What would be the consequences or implications of the various institutional

factors or instruments (such as the garbage collection and disposal plan,

organizational structure, financial base, regulatory measures, appropriate

technology and involvement of the barangay government and the community) for

specific activities of domestic garbage collection and disposal?

6. Is the municipal government of the study area capable of formulating and

implementing workable responses to the problems of domestic garbage collection

and disposal?

7. What framework should be proposed for an environmentally sound garbage

collection and disposal policy and planning? How can this framework be

implemented effectively and continuously?

1 In the hierarchy of local governments, the barangay is the basic political and geographic unit in the Philippines. 2 Poblacion is the equivalent of the present day “town.” It is a term used during the over 300 years occupation of the Spaniards of the Philippines from 1621 to 1898.

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