By: Angelica Arquero
After a two-day suspension in garbage collection, the City Government of Baguio has resumed operations as of June 5, following a temporary waste disposal arrangement with landfills in Pampanga.
Vendors like Nanay Grace from Barangay Queen of Peace were among those affected by the halt in collection, which began on June 3 due to the sudden closure of the Urdaneta Sanitary Landfill.
“Especially with vegetables, I can’t even have the fish cleaned anymore,” said Nanay Grace, a market vendor, “We’re just trying to squeeze the trash wherever we can. I hope this doesn’t last a week, it would be a real mess.”
Barangay officials had to deploy personnel to manage waste piling up in neighborhoods.
“We received the advisory that there would be no garbage collection, so I had my team monitor the streets to avoid any foul smells or buildup,” said Barangay Captain Raul Karunongan, “Most of us haven’t had sleep because we had to stay up monitoring the garbage situation.”
The issue stemmed from the sudden refusal of barangay officials in Urdaneta to allow entry of Baguio’s garbage trucks into the landfill.
“Last Monday, I was informed that our trucks were being blocked. I had to send someone to verify. There was no prior notice,” said Eugene Buyucan, City General Services Officer, “Turns out, the barangay officials weren’t allowing our trucks to enter.”
To address the problem, Baguio’s General Services Office (GSO) coordinated alternative dumping grounds.
“We found another disposal area, although it’s 200 kilometers away and significantly more expensive,” Buyucan explained. “But garbage collection is not something you can postpone, we generate nearly 250 tons a day.”
As of June 4, the city secured temporary dumping sites in Porac and Floridablanca, Pampanga.
Regular garbage collection resumed on June 5.
“We’re back to our regular schedule. Residents in areas missed earlier this week should wait for their next scheduled collection and not put trash out prematurely,” said GSO Assistant Head Margie Della.
The GSO reminded residents to remain disciplined and segregate waste to reduce the volume of trash being collected.
“We need to maintain a culture of discipline,” Buyucan urged. “If we throw out waste improperly, it affects the entire community.”
Della added, “Please segregate your waste and reuse recyclables whenever possible.”
Currently, 27 garbage trucks are covering Baguio City’s barangays for the resumed collection operations.
