BARIRA, Maguindanao – In compliance with Republic Act 9003 and 9275, the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE) – BARMM conducted on 24 March 2021 an inspection of an ongoing construction of a sanitary landfill and a water body classification in Barira, Maguindanao.


The team from MENRE Environment Management Services led by Director Jalani M. Pamlian and the Ministry of Interior and Local Government inspected the concerned Barira sanitary landfill to ensure that it is designed according to the guidelines and requirements stated in the RA 9003, also known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.


“Continuous monitoring will be conducted by the MENRE–EMS to ensure that the sanitary landfill that will be established is based on standard designs,” Pamlian said.


The Director also commended Barira for being one the first LGUs that submitted their Solid Waste Management Compliance and Auditing Report in the province of Maguindanao.


“We commend the Local Government Unit of Barira for actively participating and continuously exerting their efforts to improve the solid waste management practices in the municipality,” he added.


MILG representative Hussayn Sinarimbo said that there must be barangay ordinances that can help promote solid waste management practices, including having organic composting and improving segregation in each barangay.
Solid Waste Management Compliance and Auditing Report will serve as a self-monitoring tool of the LGUs to determine the status of its compliance with specific provisions of RA 9003, and help the officials to formulate effective strategies to be implemented.


Barira water bodies classified

As per the RA 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004, “classification” means the categorization of all water bodies taking into account the existing quality of the body of water and most beneficial existing and future use of said bodies of water and lands bordering them, such as for residential, agricultural, aquacultural, commercial, industrial, navigational, recreational, wildlife conservation and aesthetic purposes, among others.


On the same day as the sanitary landfill inspection in Barira, the MENRE-EMS paid a visit to the municipality’s water bodies and assessed the access to clean water.


“The Bulubudtua Falls, for instance, being a tourist attraction and recreational spot, falls under Class B,” Chief Environmental Management Services Amier Ashan K. Aplal said.


Water bodies that are used for recreational purposes like swimming pools, bath houses, boating, water skiing, golf courses and other similar facilities in resorts and other places designated for tourism purposes fall under the Class B.


As underscored by Director Pamlian, “Water bodies in the Bangsamoro region are a part of our environment that must be protected to ensure that the next generation will experience the natural richness of our homeland.”


“We, in the present generation, are obliged to protect and preserve what Allah SWT has provided us with, and this includes our nature,” he said.