DENR seeks more solid waste management school practices
"This search is a very effective way for people to understand the importance of SWM and the environment," said Director Juan Miguel Cuna of DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) which spearheads the competition.
He raised the point as authorities said indiscriminate garbage dumping in water bodies causes such areas to overflow, contributing to flooding incidents nationwide.
National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) also reported local level compliance with Republic Act 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000) still needs improvement.
Open dumps still exist in almost 64 percent of 1,610 local government units (LGUs) nationwide even if RA 9003 already bans the facilities in favor of sanitary landfills, NSWMC noted.
NSWMC also observed waste segregation, recycling and re-use remain lacking in communities even if RA 9003 promotes such practices.
By holding the search, DENR helps provide exposure to schools' SWM practices so people can learn from these and contribute towards addressing the country's garbage problem.
"Sharing of practices can lead to ripples of change in our society," said DENR Assistant Secretary Corazon Davies.
She believes such change is urgent particularly as experts warned climate change is threatening sustainability of life on the planet.
DENR will spearhead in 2013 the third edition of the search for eco-friendly Philippine schools.
The agency and its partners previously held the search in 2011 and 2009.
Earlier, DENR raised need to sustain conducting the search, believing this project is helping increase public awareness of and action on environmental protection.
"We feel the need to continue this type of project," Cuna said as the agency reported monitoring increasing implementation of environment-related initiatives in schools nationwide.
He re-assured DENR-EMB's technical services so that more Philippine schools can undertake such initiatives.
For the 2011 search, winners in the elementary school category are first placer Iliranan Elementary School (Negros Occidental province), second placer Kibawe Central School (Bukidnon province) and San Mariano Elementary School (Oriental Mindoro province).
In the high school category, the 2011 winners are first placer Camarines Sur National High School (Camarines Sur province), second placer University of San Jose Recoletos High School (Cebu province) and third placer Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School (Davao City).
The 2011 college category winners are first placer De La Salle University-Dasmariñas (Cavite province), second placer Palawan State University (Palawan province) and Ateneo de Manila University (Quezon City).
DENR-EMB and its partners Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education and Smart Communications recognized such schools for having the best sustainable environment-related initiatives among learning institutions that joined this year's search.
The first batch of eco-friendly schools that emerged as national champions in the search are Penablanca East Central School in Cagayan (elementary category), La Castellana High School in Negros Occidental province (high school category) and Palawan State University in Palawan province (college category). (PNA) LAP/CJT/utb
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