Siargao to improve waste management system to avoid repeat of Boracay mess

The government of Surigao del Norte on Sunday said it is now taking steps to improve the waste management system of Siargao and create a master plan for the top surfing destination to avoid the problems now plaguing Boracay island.

In an emailed statement, Surigao del Norte First District Representative Bingo Matugas said the local government is now setting up a P290-million centralized solid waste management system which will be completed within the year.

"The resorts in Siargao are smaller in scale than those in Boracay. Most of them cater to surfers... Definitely, we don't want Siargao to become like Boracay," he said.

Earlier in February, President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to shut down Boracay, which he called a "cesspool," should the environmental issues remain unaddressed in the next six months.

According to Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) officer-in-charge Eduardo Año, some 800 establishments on Boracay have different kinds of violations that the government intends to correct.

Senate committees on environment and natural resources, tourism, local government, and finance last week started a joint probe to look into the said issues.

Matugas said that the Surigao del Norte local government has tapped a foreign company to assist in its waste management program.

"Under the said project, all towns will be given dump trucks for garbage collection. Garbage collected will be dumped in a waste-to-energy facility to be built by a Korean environmental company," he said.

Siargao master plan

In the same statement, Matugas said the government has tapped urban planner  Felino "Jun" Palafox, Jr. for Siargao's master plan.

"Architect Jun Palafox has been awarded the project to develop the masterplan for the island of Siargao primarily to determine the islands carrying capacity, protect its water sources and forest land, create proper zoning to manage development," he said.

Palafox's firm, Palafox Associates, currently heads the Metro Davao Urban Master Plan project in partnership with the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDa).

"We are also in the process of passing the Siargao Island Development Authority to manage and implement the Siargao masterplan," Matugas said. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA News