By Wilson J Hormeguera
Xavier University, in collaboration with the Cagayan de Oro City Ecological Solid Waste Management Board (CESWMB) and National Service Training Program (NSTP) Educators Association in Region 10, conducted a waste management capacity building for the pool of barangay coaches in the implementation of Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) on October 24-25 at Leo’s Grill Function Hall.
Responding to the worsening solid waste management issues in the city, the coaches, composed of the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO) staff and faculty members from Golden Heritage Polytechnic College, Liceo de Cagayan University, Lourdes College, Pilgrim Christian College and XU attended the training.
Elvisa Mabelin, city SWM coordinator, welcomed the participants and presented the objectives of the coaching program, policies and framework of the Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
Analiza Miso of XU - Sustainable Sanitation Center conducted a lecture-workshop on waste identification and the current status of the city’s solid waste management practices.
Dr Dixon Yasay, director of XU - Governance and Leadership Institute (GLI), presented the basics of local governance and the means of engagement at the barangay level.
The coaches came up with coaching plans starting with finalizing institutional arrangements of the coaches’ engagements, facilitating the barangay SWM assessment, profiling and planning. The plans also included the competency building of barangay officials and volunteers, and coordinating the entry of NSTP students in the SWM implementation in the barangays.
“The coaching program is our way of enabling the barangay councils do the mandates of RA 9003, allowing the barangays to perform their tasks in reducing the production of waste at the household level,” Dr Yasay said.
Alongside XU president Fr Roberto “Bobby” C Yap SJ as chair of the CESWMB, XU has committed to the management of waste and the preservation of the environment as part its thematic areas of engagement under its Research and Social Outreach (RSO) cluster.