BACOLOD City – The Provincial Government of Negros Occidental and nine local government units (LGUs) have formalized a partnership to strengthen solid waste management through the shared use of the La Castellana Clustered Waste Management Facility (LCCWMF).
The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), signed on July 30 in La Castellana, allows the participating LGUs to use the engineered sanitary landfill in Barangay Manghanoy as their common final disposal site for residual waste, in compliance with Republic Act No. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
Signatories to the agreement were La Castellana Mayor Añejo G. Nicor, Pulupandan Mayor Miguel Peña, Valladolid Mayor Ricardo Presbitero Jr., Pontevedra Mayor Jose Maria Alonso, Moises Padilla Mayor Ella Garcia-Yulo, Isabela Mayor Miguel Angelo Yulo, and officials representing the municipalities of San Enrique, Hinigaran, and Binalbagan.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson witnessed the signing together with Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Environmental Management Bureau-Negros Island Region Officer-in-Charge Regional Director Forester Vicente S. Losbañes.
Lacson said the agreement highlights the importance of collaboration among neighboring local governments in addressing the growing challenge of waste disposal.
“Waste management is a responsibility that cannot be addressed by one municipality alone. It requires planning, resources, discipline, and, most importantly, cooperation,” the governor said.
He added that the provincial government remains committed to supporting infrastructure and programs that promote environmental protection and sustainable development.
Lacson also emphasized that the long-term success of the initiative depends on the commitment of local governments and residents to practice proper waste segregation, waste reduction, reuse, and recycling.
Supported by the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, the LCCWMF is designed to serve municipalities in the province’s Fourth and Fifth Districts.
By sharing a common sanitary landfill, the participating LGUs aim to improve compliance with environmental regulations while adopting a more efficient and coordinated approach to solid waste management.
Provincial officials said the partnership marks another step toward building a cleaner and more environmentally sustainable Negros Occidental through shared responsibility and stronger inter-LGU cooperation./PN
