Project Zacchaeus, a start-up company in Puerto Princesa City, have partnered with the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (City ENRO) of the City Government of Puerto Princesa in an effort to strengthen its collaboration in various areas, to ensure successful implementation of Eco-Kolek project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Clean Cities and Blue Ocean program.
Eco-Kolek enables target communities to significantly contribute for the eradication of plastic pollution and improve solid waste segregation. Early this year, the USAID provided grant amounting to P10 Million to Project Zacchaeus according to its project director, John Gastanes.
On November 15, 2021, USAID Clean Cities and Blue Ocean Consultants led by Mr. Rene Acosta, Asia Regional Director visited Puerto Princesa City specifically at the Office of the City ENRO to strengthen collaboration and discuss the project implementation. Atty. Carlo B. Gomez, the City ENR Officer committed his support to the project. The following day, November 16, 2021, Atty. Gomez and some City ENRO staff, Mr. Acosta and Mr. Gastanes appeared at the Office of the City Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron to provide brief update about the project.
The City Government of Puerto Princesa and the Project Zacchaeus formalized its partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Under the MOU, the City ENRO will provide trainings, technical assistance and other support to Project Zacchaeus.
Gastanes explained that they started piloting 60 informal wastes pickers in Barangay Bancao-Bancao that organized themselves as Samahan ng Mamamayan ng Jacana (SMJ). He said that they target within two years’ time, they will be able to employ and train the project beneficiaries with different workshops and training and eventually make the project sustainable.
Bancao-Bancao is one of the urban barangays of Puerto Princesa City, with more than 15,000 inhabitants as of 2020 based on Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) record.
One of the accomplishments of the Eco-Kolek project is the development of a Mobile App to pilot household wastes segregation, said Gastanes.
For skeptics, segregation of solid wastes at source seemed impossible, but the community-wastes pickers who are members of Samahan ng Mamamayan ng Jacana (SMJ) in Barangay Bancao Bancao and Project Zacchaeus who conceptualized the Eco-Kolek project in Puerto Princesa City with the partnership of the City ENRO, behavior change, discipline and the segregation of solid wastes at source is attainable.
Project Zacchaeus assisted by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has conceptualized a Mobile App to make segregated wastes traceable and monitored. With the availability of a Mobile App, the piloting of household for the segregation of solid wastes at source is set to start anytime soon. Participating households will receive incentives and rewards from the Eco-Kolek project to encourage community participation and behavior change.
Aside from City ENRO, the Project Zacchaeus have already established partnerships with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and as well as other relevant agencies and offices.
The project implementers eyed Eco-Kolek as the SMART CITY approach in solid wastes management specifically on the collection of recyclable wastes segregated solid wastes in specially-designated wastes bins with bar codes. The collection, inventory, and waste recovery of these resources will be facilitated by mobile applications developed locally.
As defined, Smart City is a technologically modern urban area that uses different types of electronic methods, voice activation methods, and sensors to collect specific data Information gained from that data are used to manage assets, resources, and services efficiently; in return, that data is used to improve the operations across the city.
Discussion about this post