THE city government of Balanga, Bataan made a great plan regarding the storage, handling, and disposal of COVID-19 waste in 2021 that earned commendation from the Commission on Audit.
When it came to execution, however, the provincial capital faltered.
In a 2021 report released last March 23, government auditors said the city government’s battle plan did not survive conditions on the ground.
Based on the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) Resolution No. 1364 issued on April 25, 2020, the city of Balanga passed Executive Order No. 20, s. 2021 creating a sub-group under the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Board to ensure safe storage, collection, and transport of health care waste related to COVID-19 control.
The group was headed by two co-chairmen from the City Health Office and the Monitoring Office for SWM Program.
Under the plan, trash bins were to be distributed to 19,148 households in 25 barangays for discarded/used facemasks and similar health care items. However, only 900 trash bins were purchased using the city’s General Fund.
According to the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), funding for the plan was not included in last year’s budget.
Balanga eyed using the P300,000 cash it won as MANILA BAY-ani top performer, but the money remained unutilized as of December 31, 2021.
“Interview with some barangay constituents disclosed that they were instructed to place the infected wastes in a plastic bag to be collected by the regular collectors on regular days, which is not in consonance with the COVID-19 solid waste management plan,” the audit team said.
Garbage collectors were supposed to be provided personal protective equipment (PPE sets) including overalls, facemasks, and mittens as well as disinfectant alcohol, vitamins, and food supplements.
