Legarda Lauds Brgy. Potrero, Malabon for Winning MMDA's Best Solid Waste Mgmt Award

Senator Loren Legarda congratulated Barangay Potrero, Malabon for winning the Best Solid Waste Management Program Award of the Metro Manila Development Authority's (MMDA) Barangay Power 2015 and once again urged other local government units (LGUs) to implement the provisions of Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Act.

"I laud Barangay Potrero for being a model barangay for EWSM. Their commitment to environmental protection is truly inspiring and their collaborative effort to strictly implement the ecological solid waste management program is something worth emulating," said Legarda, principal author and sponsor of the ESWM Law.

Home to about 54,000 residents, Barangay Potrero was able to achieve almost 95% compliance with the ESWM Law. It strictly implements "Door-to-Door" and "No Segregation, No Collection" policies. A team of 18 members monitors the implementation, while 37 eco-aides/collectors make rounds using pushcarts instead of garbage trucks to ensure proper segregation in the garbage collection at least cost.

Barangay Potrero aims to ensure the sustainability of the implementation of the program and eventually achieve 100% compliance.

The barangay was able to implement the provisions of ESWM Law through the help and support of Mother Earth Foundation, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, has urged other LGUs and barangays to also comply with the provisions of the ESWM Law, as well as other environmental laws, to help build clean, healthy, safe and resilient communities.

In the 2016 national budget, P500 Million was allocated under the DENR-EMB for capacity building programs for LGUs for the implementation of the ESWM Law.

"The fact that there are ESWM-compliant LGUs and barangays, like Barangay Potrero, only means that it is doable and there is no reason why other communities could not follow suit. We have to veer away from the throwaway culture and aim for a zero-waste economy. Leaders must have the political will to implement the law at full speed," said Legarda.