By CESAR JOLITO III
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod has approved on first reading a proposed ordinance that formally declares the Bacolod Integrated Recycling and Technology Hub (BIRTH) as the city’s central solid waste management facility and sets a regulated framework for developing a Waste-to-Energy (WTE) industrial zone.
The measure aims to institutionalize long-term waste solutions while ensuring transparency and public accountability.
It recognizes BIRTH as the city’s integrated hub for solid waste management and outlines how a WTE zone may be developed within the site.
City officials said the proposal aligns with the Bacolod City Updated 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan for 2024 to 2033, positioning WTE as an anchor strategy for residual waste disposal and energy recovery.
The initiative is also anchored on an existing memorandum of agreement between Bacolod and the Department of Energy.
Under the ordinance, a defined WTE industrial zone will be established on city-owned property in Barangay Felisa.
Any development will be pursued either through a competitive lease or a public-private partnership (PPP), subject to independent fair market valuation, environmental and safety clearances, and qualification requirements from the Department of Energy.
Key safeguards include a transparent selection process handled by the city’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) acting as lease BAC, strict non-exclusivity provisions that prevent automatic project awards or preferential treatment, and the requirement of prior sanggunian authorization before the mayor may enter into any lease or PPP agreement.
A city development security will also be required to protect public interest.
Distrito stressed that the ordinance is purely enabling in nature.
He clarified that it does not grant rights or award projects to any private entity but instead creates the legal structure needed to responsibly implement the city’s waste management plan.
Councilor Homer Bais echoed this, saying the measure ensures institutional readiness and accountability should the city proceed with WTE as part of its long-term strategy./CJ, WDJ