THE Dagupan City government has cited more reasons that would delay or eventually stop the implementation of the contract for the P270-million Waste to Worth (W2W) project pledged to be built for Dagupan by Sure Global Philippines, Inc. at no cost to the city. 

City Administrator Alan Dale Zarate told members of the city council during a special session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod on December 5.

Responding to questions from Councilors Jose Netu Tamayo and Teresa Coquia, Zarate said the city must determine if it is really the answer to the problem of the city of Dagupan.

The agreement was signed in 2017 by the then Mayor Belen Fernandez and Julia Courts Boughton, president, and chief executive officer of Sure Global Philippines, Inc.

He said a review of the joint venture agreement entails technical matters, citing the absence of compliance to the provision of social acceptability by residents of houses adjacent to the project.

The site chosen as a location of the W2W facility, according to Zarate, is at the back of the La Playa Subdivision and the Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center of Region 1 Medical Center in Bonuan Binloc.

At the same time, he also said that the access road leading to the proposed site of the project is still a private road and would need the acceptance of this particular activity with the owners of adjacent properties.  

Then, there is the penalty clause in the joint venture agreement that the city must pay a certain penalty to the operator of the project if the city fails to provide the minimum volume of garbage to the facility.

Insinuating that the W2W technology being offered by Sure Global basically uses incineration, he said it may not be considered compliant with the Clean Air Act.

Meanwhile, Zarate cited the need to look into how the project can address the legacy wastes that had piled up at the dumpsite that already spread in an area of over 4.5 hectares near the beach.

Councilor Coquia asked Zarate to consider the W2W project because if Dagupan will not take it, the town of Manaoag expressed its willingness to get it.  The same was manifested by Councilor Tamayo, citing other towns that expressed interest in the project. (Leonardo Micua)           

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