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 The City Government of San Fernando headed by Mayor Pablo C. Ortega in partnership with the Rotary Club of San Fernando, (LU), Inc., led by Mr. Frederick So, President and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), spearheaded by Mr. Dave Robbins, senior sanitation adviser signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Sewerage and Septage Management Project on January 19, 2010 at the People’s Hall, City Hall, this city.
According to the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Sanitation Code of the Philippines, septic tanks shall be cleaned before excessive sludge or scum accumulates and reduces the settling efficiency, shall be inspected at least once a year and cleaned when sludge and scum has reduced the liquid capacity by fifty percent (50%) and sludge from septic tanks shall be disposed of by burial or by any other method approved by the Secretary of Health or his representative instead of emptied into open field, ditches or bodies of water.
The project aims to improve sanitation, health and hygiene to benefit people of the city. It promotes awareness of sanitation and the willingness to pay for the services and to expand city ordinances to better regulate wastewater.
At present, a series of meetings, surveys and consultations are being done with the help of supporters such as the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, Barangay Health Workers, St. Louis College, the Environmental Management Bureau-DENR and the Department of Health (DOH).
The 2-day survey was scheduled on February 17 and 18, 2010 gathering data randomly from 150 respondents in chosen barangays. A photo contest will also be conducted to promote sanitation, health and hygiene of which the winners will receive cash prizes.
Further, a symposium related to the program was also scheduled on March 16-17, 2010 at the Diego Silang Hall, Provincial Capitol, San Fernando City, La Union in line with the 12th Cityhood Anniversary of the City of San Fernando. This symposium will present the latest tools, methods and technologies that local governments may utilize to effectively manage domestic sewage and septage. Participants include regional, provincial, city and municipal government sanitation and health advocates and officers, and private sector service providers and other interested in adopting the technology in their communities.
The MOU signing was attended by city and barangay officials headed by City Mayor Pablo C. Ortega and City Vice-Mayor Pancacio Q. Nisce, representatives from the Rotary Club of San Fernando, (LU), Inc. and representatives from the private sector sanitation services. |
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