MINERVA BC NEWMAN
Vic Metal Fabrication and Environmental Services Inc. in partnership with the local government unit of Lapulapu City held the groundbreaking ceremony of the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) Training Center and also inaugurated the Cebu Waste Management Facility on July 28 at its 8,647-sqm property in Lapulapu City.
DILG secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr. In a video message said, this facility will significantly reduce waste disposed in landfills which has become a major urban development issue in Cebu The integrated waste management solution can help address the challenges in waste management that the province is facing. “I hope these kinds of initiatives, private and public sector partnership, will be enhanced and that similar environment related projects will also be emulated by other local government units in the future,” Abalos added.
Vic Metal completed the first second phases of the project that involved the construction of the Water Laboratory for Wastewater Analysis and Treatment as well as the MRF and Treatment, Storage, and Disposal (TSD) facility for the recovery, segregation, treatment and disposal of different wastes.
Victoriano Ocon, President & CEO of Vic Metal Fabrication and Environmental Services, Inc. said, the company is committed to actively ensure the management of wastes from proper segregation, recycling and composting reduction of wastes disposed in landfills as well as treatment of wastewater, and manage other wastes generated by the different sectors of society.
Ocon bared that the design implementation ensures proper segregation, recycling, and composting of solid waste and wastewater treatment through different technologies.
Both facilities are expected to reduce residual wastes disposed of in Cebu landfills to around 50 tons per month, Ocon added that the project will also diminish the mishandling of waste and other waste-related environmental issues, and the hazards posed by illegal dumpsites and mismanaged landfills in the province.
According to him, the last phase of the project involves the development of a training center, the first in the province to highlight education and training on proper solid and liquid waste management. It also includes the building of a park for recreation and the promotion of environmental awareness.
Ocon explained that while the project is a private sector initiative, Vic Metal Fabrication works with the public sector to ensure that municipal solid wastes are collected, transported, treated, and disposed of properly.
Cebu province has a population of over 5 million as of 2019 and the projected daily waste generation for Cebu by 2025 is about 1.2M tons which go directly to landfills if proper waste management is not implemented.
The groundbreaking and inauguration events were led by Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan and Vic Metal President/CEO Victoriano Ocon. They were joined by representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agriculture (DA), Pollution Control Association of the Philippines Inc., MatLuster Corp., and PT. Indopower International.
