The Ilocos Times

Let’s stop pretending that recycling in the Philippines is succeeding. Despite years of government campaigns urging residents and businesses to segregate their waste, we’re still burying recyclables in landfills or leaving them to rot in dumpsites. Why? Because even when we segregate, the system doesn’t work. Garbage trucks still mix everything together. Segregated bags from households and commercial buildings often end up thrown into the same compactor, as if the effort was all for show. What’s going on here? We keep encouraging people to segregate their trash, but there’s no real infrastructure to support it. It’s like asking someone to save water in a house with broken pipes. We’ve heard the phrase many times— “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”—but how can people recycle when the government doesn’t even honor their efforts? I see it in my own neighborhood. I separate paper, plastics, bottles—but when the garbage truck arrives, the collectors lump it all together. What message does th...

Who was that senatorial candidate who boldly declared that if elected, he would not propose any new laws because we already have enough? Crazy as he might have sounded to some, there is a ring of truth to his words. We do have enough laws. The real problem is that we are far too slow in implementing them—even though we are too fast in passing them. Yes, that is the grand irony of our legislative system: we keep churning out new laws, yet we neglect to implement them. Equally ironic is that we do not revisit our old laws that clearly need to be updated. In fact, the “new” laws we need are those that refine and modernize existing ones—not add to the pile of unread statutes collecting dust. Talking of ironies, one of the most glaring is how our environmental laws are being ignored—ironically treated like garbage. Republic Act No. 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, is a prime example. Despite its clear and detailed mandates, it is often overlooked. Our waste managem...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Currimao , Ilocos Norte—At least 35 baby sea turtles from a guarded hatchery in a barangay in this town were guided back to the wild on Jan. 29, 2025. Engineer Erickson Biag, Currimao municipal environment officer-designate, told The Ilocos Times in a phone interview that barangay officials of Brgy. Paguludan, are monitoring the pawikan hatchery. He said the latest batch of released hatchlings are on top of the 32 hatchlings that emerged from the relocated sea turtle eggs last December, guarded to keep them safe during high tide and protect them from predators. “The pawikan eggs in the first nest were laid last December and we are counting 52 days for them to emerge and guide them back to their natural habitat,” he explained. Biag added there are two more nests at the hatchery and they are expecting them to emerge until February. The pawikan hatchery in Currimao town was established last year and the coastal barangays of Pangil all the way to Pagu...

WASTE MANAGEMENT. Residents of San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte trade in their wastes for household and school essentials in this undated photo. The waste diversion project has reduced the volume of discarded materials in sanitary landfills. (Photo courtesy of PBMES) By Leilanie Adriano San Nicolas , Ilocos Norte—Residents of this town have shown overwhelming support for the local government's waste management efforts by participating in the “Palit-Basura” program that allows them to swap discarded materials for school and household essentials. Orlando Pascua, principal of the Pasion-Barangay Memorial Elementary School, said that the program encourages responsible waste management. Teachers, students and parents gather discarded materials such as plastic wrappers, shampoo sachets and other packaging materials and traded them at the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) for corresponding points every Tuesday and Thursday. Through the program, Pascua said educat...

For so many years now, many LGUs have been trying to implement waste recycling programs in their own localities, but very few seem to have succeeded. By the looks of it, many local officials seem resigned to the idea of doing the same thing repeatedly, and expecting different results, which is Einstein’s definition of insanity. Is it therefore the time now to try something different? So that we could have different results? Instead of just having one type of garbage truck picking up both biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste materials, why not have two separate trucks to do that, with two separate schedules? That way, the biodegradable waste, which is mostly food waste, could be brought directly to a biodigester facility, where these could be composted and converted to organic fertilizer. Without the biodegradable waste, it would be easier to sort the non-biodegradable waste, which is mostly recyclables. Better still, we should make it compulsory to sort or segregate the non...

Zero waste management is an approach that aims to minimize the amount of waste generated and sent to landfills or incinerators by promoting waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting. Proper waste segregation is a fundamental step in zero waste management, as it allows for the efficient sorting of waste materials to facilitate recycling and composting processes. Here are the steps involved in zero waste management relative to waste segregation, from collecting waste to recycling to proper waste disposal:   Waste Collection The first step in zero waste management is the collection of waste from households, businesses, and public areas. Waste collection systems should be organized to ensure that different types of waste are collected separately to facilitate segregation at the source.   Waste Segregation Waste segregation involves sorting waste into different categories based on their composition and recyclability. Common segregation categories include biode...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Laoag City —In a move to help avoid future wide-scale flooding in the province and with the effect of typhoon Ineng in 2019 still fresh on everyone’s minds, the provincial government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) along with four government agencies officially launched Phase 1 of the Padsan River Restoration Project through a ceremonial dredging in Metro Gabu, this city, on Dec. 15, 2022. PGIN, through the Provincial Quarry Office, has been collaborating with the Depts. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), as well as the official contractor, He Sha Prime Sand & Gravel Aggregates Philippines Inc., to conduct vital research, studies, and campaigns for the project. Present during the ceremonial dredging were Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc, Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos, regional d...

The waste issue is a global problem as shown here in a photo of a dump site that can be found everywhere in the world. (File photo) By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Laoag City —In a concerted effort and continuing action of a global scale to address the negative impact of the excessive use and disposal of hazardous wastes, the city government here has reiterated the ban on the use of plastic bags and Styrofoam packaging. City environment and natural resources officer (CENRO) Mylene Isabel Pascual said the use of said packaging has resulted in environmental degradation, flooding, problems on sanitation and worst of all, climate change. The local government units (LGUs) “has a sublime responsibility must have to protect the constituency from the harmful or even fatal effects as ill results of disregarding the environment and therefore must support this move to save Mother Earth from total degradation”. Citing Article II Section 6 of the Philippine Constitution, it provid...

ECO-FRIENDLY. On Oct. 20, 2021, a worker at the newly-inaugurated Ilocos Norte Eco Hub demonstrates to local officials of the province led by Vice Governor Cecilia Araneta Marcos how the stripped plastic sachets are mix with cement to produce eco-bricks. Also shown in the background photo are eco-bricks used in the construction of the first eco hub in the province which is envisioned to be replicated in various parts of the province to help beat plastic pollution. ( Lei G. Adriano) Leilanie G. Adriano ( Staff Reporter) LAOAG CITY—The province of Ilocos Norte is heading towards beating plastic pollution with the manufacturing of eco-bricks using recycled plastic wastes for construction purposes. Located along the national highway at Sitio Bato, Brgy. Tonoton in Piddig, Ilocos Norte the project is a model eco hub recycling facility, the first of its kind in Ilocos region. Through a public and private partnership agreement between the Ayala-led renewable energy corporation-North Luzon...

Heads and officers of Green Antz Builders and the Ayala Corporation with Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Cecilia Marcos-Araneta and Piddig Mayor Eddie Guillen lead the groundbreaking ceremony of the Ilocos Norte Eco Hub located at Brgy. Tonoton in Piddig, Ilocos Norte. ( Green Antz Builders photo) By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Piddig , Ilocos Norte—First in Ilocos. The Green Antz Builders and the Ayala Renewable Energy Corporation in cooperation with the provincial government of Ilocos Norte and the municipal government of Piddig launched the first EcoHub recycling facility, dubbed as Green Antz Ilocos Norte EcoHub, with the ground breaking ceremony held at Sitio Bato, Brgy. 6 Tonoton in Piddig, Ilocos Norte on July 30, 2021. The “eco-friendly project” aims to convert plastic wastes into hollow blocks and bricks for construction purposes. Piddig Mayor Eddie Guillen thanked the two big companies as this project is part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) to Ilo...

Laoag City —The Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) and the city government of Laoag will soon establish a nipa plantation in the city of Laoag. In a resolution, certified as urgent by Laoag Mayor Michael M. Keon, and unanimously approved by the city council sponsored by the committee of the whole led by Laoag councilor Juan Conrado Respicio as movant, MMSU and Laoag City will enter a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the said purpose. Respicio, who chairs the committee on ethics, rules and regulations, said the nipa resource establishment supports the “Expanded National Greening Program” and the production of bio-ethanol, a climate change mitigation and a source of livelihood. The nipa, which is a mangrove species, has been shown by MMSU as a promising source of bioethanol to augment the shortage of locally produced bioethanol as required by RA 9367 known as Biofuels Act of 2006 and reduce the country’s dependency on imported fossil fuels. “The valuable economic and ecologi...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz  (Staff Reporter) City of Batac —Mayor Albert D. Chua recently confirmed that a developer has approached the city government to put up a large-scale solar power plant at Brgys. Camandingan, San Pedro and Biningan in this city. In view of this, Chua endorsed the letter of intent submitted by Apolaki One, Inc. to the Sangguniang Panlungsod here for evaluation and deliberation. He added that the city council will also verify whether the mentioned barangays are incorporated in the city’s 10-year development plan of the city as some areas of those barangays can be water sources and tourist destinations. Chua added that the proposed power plant is a lengthy project that needs thorough study as well as the approval of the Dept. of Energy, Dept. Environment and Natural Resources and other national agencies. The mayor also said that it will also require resolutions from the identified barangays and the Sangguniang Panlungsod. The mayor disclosed that the deve...

BACK INTO THE SEA. Sea turtles find their way home after their accidental capture by a fishing gear on Feb. 25, 2021. The female Olive Ridley turtles weighed approximately eight to 10.5 kilos each. ( Photo courtesy of Raymond Sesuca) By Leilanie G. Adriano  (Staff Reporter) Pagudpud , Ilocos Norte—Three more female green sea turtles, weighing approximately eight to 10.5 kilos each, were found and rescued at Ayoyo Cove along Brgy. Caparispisan, this town on Feb. 25, 2021. The village hosts an 81-megawatt wind farm covering a 625-hectare forest reserve. At around 6:30 am, local fishermen said their fishing gear accidentally captured the reptiles, prompting them to call the attention of barangay officials and volunteers of the Pagudpud Pawikan Conservation Group patrolling the shoreline for possible nesting and hatching events during this time of turtle migration period. Raymond Sesuca, a volunteer of the said group and corporate social responsibility (CSR) ...

(From left) Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 6 Regional Director and Lead Convenor for Fisheries Management Area 11 Remia Aparri, Acting USAID Environment Office Director Paul Seong, USAID Fish Right Program Chief of Party Nygiel Armada, RMN Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Erika Sanchez, and RMN Chairman and President Eric Canoy formally launch the USAID-RMN partnership on marine conservation. Manila —The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) Foundation formalized a media partnership to promote marine conservation in the Philippines.   The partnership will target coastal communities that rely on radio as a source of information and entertainment in the Visayan region, the country’s seafood capital and home to more than 140,000 small-scale fishers.   USAID, through its Fish Right project, and RMN, will produce and distribute messages on biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisher...

By Leilanie G. Adriano ( Staff Reporter) Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte—Coastal villagers at Brgy. Caparispisan, this town, cheered with glee as they watched a female green sea turtle measuring 102 centimeters long and 97 centimeters wide crawl its way to the sea on Jan. 14, 2021. Henelyn Alterado, president of the lifeguard association in this town said in a phone interview that a fisherman spotted the green sea turtle nestling in a beach front owned by the family of Pagudpud mayor Rafael Benemerito at about 3:00 am on Jan. 14, 2021. "The fisherman immediately reported what he saw to a village chief tanod and relayed it immediately to local authorities,” said Alterado who is also an active member of the Pagudpud Pawikan Conservation Group. Following the conduct of a training on Pawikan conservation, Alterado said more and more villagers are now becoming more aware of their responsibilities towards nature particularly on saving these endangered species. Since November last year,...

Laoag City recently won as the cleanest and greenest city in the province. (File photo) By Dominic B. dela Cruz  (Staff Reporter) Laoag City —The National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) commended Laoag City’s 10-year solid waste management (SWM) plan. Laoag Mayor Michael M. Keon presented the plan to the 14-members NSWMC group who came from the different government sectors and non-government organizations, particularly in the recycling and plastic industry. The mayor said the 10-year plan is all about the future strategy and course of action of the city regarding the proper management of wastes. The presentation included the city’s projection on the collection, storage, transfer and disposal of wastes collected from the different households and establishments including diversion of wastes for the next 10 years.   According to the mayor, the city’s SWM plan garnered favorable response from the NSWMC compared in the past 20 years when city failed to present ...

  Laoag mayor Michael M. Keon receives a plaque of recognition and a P250,000.00 check as the winner in the search for the cleanest and greenest city in the province of Ilocos Norte. The awarding was witnessed by VG Cecilia Araneta Marcos, PENR officer Ms. Estrella 'Baby' Sacro and DENR-IN provincial director Vic Dabalos.  (CMO-Laoag photo) By Dominic B. dela Cruz  (Staff Reporter) Laoag City —Laoag City and the municipality of Nueva Era emerged as this year’s “cleanest and greenest” local government units (LGUs) of Ilocos Norte.   Under the “Narimat nga Aglawlaw” (A Brighter Environment) campaign of Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc, the provincial government, through its environment and natural resources office (ENRO), started the province-wide “Search for the Cleanest and Greenest Competition” last year to challenge component local government units to improve their waste management.  Held at the Sirib Mile on December 9, 2020, Laoag...