By Mae Singuay

Bacolod City now uses a digital weighbridge as the basis for payment for waste collection, hauling and disposal.

The IPM Construction and Development Corporation (IPM-CDC) contracted the city government the amount of P156,399,150 for garbage collection from May 1 to December 31 of this year.

A separate contract worth P63,998,000 was also signed by a private firm for the management and operation of the sanitary landfill in the city’s Barangay Felisa.

The weighbridge, situated at the entrance of the sanitary landfill, was part of compliance by the contractor in terms and reference stated in the contract.

Ma. Fe Tresfuentes, officer-in-charge of the Department of Public Services (DPS) said, effective last June 16, they are using the digital weighbridge for measuring the garbage collected in the city.

Tresfuentes added the weighbridge ensures that the city is paying IPM-CDC the appropriate contract amount for garbage collection.

Previously, it was on a package deal basis through a total clean-up system which the city pays P16.5 million monthly.

“The weighbridge will determine how much the city will be paying monthly by tonnage basis,” Tresfuentes said.

“Kay tonnage base kita, depende sa output. Kun indi sila maka-collect [efficiently], gamay man ila nga turn out. Pero kun pisan sila sa pag-collect, dako man masukot nila,” she added.

She described that this is advantageous to the city government since they will only pay depending on their efficiency.

“If the contractor is not efficient in doing their collection, they will be getting little payment,” Tresfuentes explained.

The DPS head noticed that since they used the weighbridge, the complaints over uncollected garbage have been minimized./MS, WDJ