Tabac bats for barangay MRFs to ease landfill congestion

Councilor Marlo Tabac backed the proposal of Councilor Enrico Salcedo to purchase land for the establishment of Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in barangays to reduce the volume of garbage being hauled to the Pagalungan landfill.

Speaking during Monday’s regular session, Tabac said the creation of MRFs is mandated under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, and is key to changing people’s waste disposal habits.

“This law is already 25 years old. It’s not only about garbage collection, but about changing the lifestyle of people to segregate their waste,” Tabac said.

He noted that some barangays lack the space to construct MRFs despite available funding from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).

“EMB and DENR have funds for MRFs, but barangays have no space. That’s why we support the proposal to buy land for MRFs,” Tabac added.

He also shared the difficulties faced by city garbage trucks navigating the muddy and narrow roads of the Pagalungan landfill, which have caused day-long delays in waste collection.

Tabac further emphasized that waste management is a shared responsibility between the city and the barangays, urging stronger coordination that would better incentivize barangay participation. (FDC/SP)