The Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is hopeful that the Waste-To-Energy (WTE) project in Davao City will soon take off to immediately address the waste problem in the city.
“Dito sa Davao City I think we will be the first one to implement the WTE project. Hopefully, maka-take off na yan para makatulong tayo sa pagbawas ng basura. Wala na tayong tapunan. kailangan sunigin na natin. We are adopting the advance technologies of Japan,” said Benito Antonio de Leon, Undersecretary for Enforcement, Solid Waste Management, Local Government Units Concern and Attach Agencies in an interview on Friday.
The city government of Davao started exploring WTE as a waste management option about four years ago as the existing sanitary landfill near full capacity.
De Leon said if the outcome of the said project is good this will be replicated in other parts of the country including Quezon City and Cebu City.
In her recent State of the City Address (SOCA), Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio reported that the city government of Davao was able to partner with DENR and secured P740 million of the needed P3.5 billion to supplement the available Japanese grant. Currently, we are working closely with the other national government agencies to secure the entire funding amount.
In September last year, Mayor Sara also announced that the project, planned in partnership with Davao City’s sister city Kitakyushi in Japan, has been reverted to DENR upon the recommendation of the Davao Regional Council.
