By CARRIE T. ASPA | San Marcelino, Zambales

WITH total prizes amounting to P1 million, the 18 barangays comprising this farming and mining town are scrambling to be named the best practitioner in solid waste management here.

To successfully do that, however, the barangays have to accumulate at least 1,020 points during the one-year contest period, or manage at least an average of 85 points each month.

“It’s a big challenge for everybody, but if there’s a will there should be a way,” said Mayor Elvis Soria during a recent surprise assessment.

He added that the monetary incentive has drawn positive results from village officials, who in turn urged the cooperation of residents in the program.

JUDGING

The search for best barangay solid waste management (SWM) practitioner was launched in June 15 this year, with assessment and pre-judging undertaken every month at no specific dates.

All the barangays are assessed based on four core areas and four essential areas. The core areas, which could earn the competitors a maximum of 20 points each, are: waste segregation at source; solid waste volume reduction programs; solid waste collection system; and barangay materials recycling facility (MRF) operation. The essential areas, which could score a maximum of five points each are: clean and green; adoption of SWM resolutions and ordinances; barangay composting facility; and barangay SWM plan.

TOP 5

Under the contest rules, the final top five barangays shall only qualify by accumulating at least 1,020 points. Should there be more than five qualifiers, the ranking method shall be used to determine the winners.

The panel of judges is composed of Engr. Lee Allen Pineda, who is the local government operations officer of San Marcelino; SBMA Ecology Center head Amethya Dela Llana; Castillejos SWM focal person Melvin Fantone; and three unidentified personnel coming from the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau.

Accordingly, the village that eventually gets the top rank will receive a cash prize of P300,000; the second P250,000; third, P200,000; fourth, P150,000; and fifth, P100,000.

The barangays who do not qualify for the top five rank, but have accumulated at least 960 points in the duration of the contest will get a monetary incentive of P50,000 each. Those with at least 600 points will receive P20,000 each.

Mayor Soria, who is also chairman of the executive committee for the 2017 SWM competition, however, stressed that any barangay that would fail to accumulate at least 600 points within the 12-month contest period would not get any reward at all.