BAYAWAN CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) -- Bayawan City is opening its solid waste management facility to visitors who wish to learn about the city government’s best practices in solid waste management.

“Bayawan is not really very gifted in beaches. So now, we bank on our best practices. A lot of the local government units (LGUs) have visited us already as far as Luzon and Mindanao,” said Bayawan City tourism officer Donna Maturan.

Launched early this month, the Ibayaw tour package covers a day trip to Bayawan City Waste Management and Ecology Center (BCWMEC), Danapa Aquaculture Facility, the city’s Local Flood Early Warning System dubbed as “mini-PAGASA,” Gawad Kalinga wastewater facility, and the city government’s Montessori-type pre-school.

Waste Management and Ecology Center

The tour’s key attraction is the BCWMEC, which offers visitors a glimpse of the city’s best practice on solid waste management.

Located in upland Barangay Maninihon, the 21-hectare center houses the Central Materials Recovery Facility for segregation of waste, a sanitary landfill, a buffer lagoon, and a septic water treatment facility.

In 2022, the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Natural Resources Region 7 awarded the city government with the Best Solid Waste Disposal Facility Award due to the effective operations of the sanitary landfill inside the BCWMEC.

The award was also given to the city government for demonstrating innovation and ingenuity in solid waste management.

The filtering and pipe design in the facility is the reason why the sanitary landfill is odorless and harmless to human health and in the environment, said BCWMEC supervisor Kerwin Martinez. 

“Ang mga basa na basura mao nay baho. Kani siya naa ni siya murag catchment sa ubos na naka-slope na ang mga duga niya sa ubos sa cell mosulod siya pipe nato then modiretso na dire sa atong lagoon,” said Martinez.

(The foul odor comes from wet trash. This facility was designed with a slope catchment underneath the ground. All the fluids coming from the garbage will pass in the pipe beneath it and will be carried over to the lagoon.) 

Over the years, the sanitary landfill has attracted several representatives from LGUs and national government agencies from the provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Negros Occidental during their benchmark studies on waste management. 

Martinez also shared that nine other LGUs here including the provincial government and two private corporations have signed a memorandum of agreement with Bayawan City for the management of their solid waste. 

BCWMEC charges them with a tipping fee worth P1,000 per ton of garbage, generating an additional income for the city.

Danapa Aquaculture Facility 

The Danapa Aquaculture Facility in Barangay Nangka is the city’s best practice on farming tilapia, shrimps, African catfish, and other inland fishes.

Maturan said fishing activities for tourists are not yet available in the facility but tourists can observe how farmers practice inland fishing methods.

They can also experience farm-to-table dining with the facility staff serving dishes made from freshly harvested tilapias.

Affordable prices

The Ibayaw Tour Package offers affordable prices for tourists and researchers who want to learn more about the city’s best practices on governance. 

Visitors will also be charged with a P60 environmental fee per person. 

Maturan said visitors can coordinate with the City Tourism Office through the Experience Bayawan Facebook page or via e-mail through experiencebayawan@gmail.com to know more about the tour package. 

Bayawan City is a first class component city in Negros Oriental located 113 kilometers south of the capital city, Dumaguete City.

The city’s main economic driver is agriculture. (RAL/PIA7-Negros Oriental)