Local government units (LGUs) in Palawan are the first to adopt Engr. Reynaldo Esguerra’s new 10-year solid waste management plan (SWMP) template.
In a workshop held by Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) Staff, in partnership with Provincial Environmental Management Unit, planning and environmental officers of LGUs in Palawan met in a workshop to update their existing SWMP using the new template made by Esguerra.
According to Esguerra, division chief of DOST Environment and Biotechnology Division Development Institute, the new template simplifies the preparation for LGUs’ 10-year SWMP.
Having 5 years of experience in reviewing LGU’s SWMP, Esguerra said that some members of the commission find the existing template “too tedious to accomplish” and it entails some information not required in Section 17 of RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
“A typical submission of the SWMP would involve more than 200 pages, excluding the annexes. The reason for having a new template is to simplify the preparation of the plan. This, in turn, also simplifies the review process, both on the procedural and substantial aspects,” Esguerra said.
The new template was approved by PCSD in November last year, making Palawan the first to implement its use.
PCSDS Solid Waste Management focal person, Michelle F. Sabuya, said it provides clear guidelines that help planners retain conciseness throughout the planning process.
Esguerra shared that once the new template is proven to be effective in Palawan, the national solid waste management commission may adopt it in the future.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) MIMAROPA was present in the said workshop. Pacifico Crisologo said they have been going around MIMAROPA to help municipalities accomplish their SWMPs.