PTA to fund Metro Tagbilaran landfill

THE Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) has committed to fund the proposed construction of a sanitary landfill in Alburquerque town for the use of Metro Tagbilaran. In a letter to Gov. Erico Aumentado, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Robert Dean Barbers said PTA has approved the allocation of the necessary funds for the proposed project. Barbers said the commitment came in light of the anticipated influx of tourists to Bohol and pursuant to the developmental thrusts of the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Alburquerque Mayor Efren Tungol is bullish in hosting the landfill in Dangay, one of its upland barangays. It soil has passed the minimum requirements set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The landfill will solve the waste disposal problems of host Albur, Tagbilaran City and nine other municipalities including the resort towns of Panglao and Dauis. DENR earlier said being a small island, Panglao's ecosystem is fragile. It cannot host a landfill as this would go beyond the island's carrying capacity. Building a sanitary landfill however needs much money that could be beyond reach for small municipalities, hence the idea of clustering to share the cost – and revenues from tipping and other fees.

The other towns are Baclayon, Loay, Loboc, Cortes, Maribojoc, Sikatuna and Corella, Aumentado however is taking Barbers' commitment with a grain of salt. The PTA Board earlier allocated P110 million for the land acquisition for the Panglao Bohol International Airport Development Project (PBIADP). The commitment proved to be all airs; PTA failed to come up with the amount. Instead, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has released P125 million for the airport project.

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