The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (OPENRO), through its Environment Management Division (EMD), is stepping up efforts to instill environmental discipline among the youth, holding a school-based orientation on Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, at Tinongcop Elementary School in Tantangan.
The activity was requested by the school to strengthen its existing solid waste management policy and prepare for upcoming environmental evaluations. It became part of a larger campaign to turn schools into champions of ecological responsibility which highlighted the importance of proper waste segregation, recycling, and the active participation of students in keeping their surroundings clean and sustainable.
Supervising Environmental Management Specialist Jobie Palacio De Jesus said the initiative is timely as the school is gearing up for a municipal-wide search for the Clean and Green Contest spearheaded by the Local Government Unit of Tantangan.
“They’re preparing for the evaluation for the municipal-wide search for the Clean and Green Contest sang LGU Tantangan, and kasali ang school within the barangay. This is why strengthening their solid waste practices is very important,” De Jesus explained.
She emphasized that educating students at an early age builds long-term environmental discipline.
“When children learn how to practice waste segregation and recycling, they also influence their families and the wider community to do the same,” she noted.
Tinongcop Elementary School, which already enforces a school-based waste management policy, welcomed the support from OPENRO-EMD. Teachers said the orientation not only reinforced their existing practices but also gave students a better understanding of their role in protecting the environment.
RA 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, mandates proper waste segregation at source, recycling, composting, and the establishment of materials recovery facilities (MRFs) to reduce the country’s dependence on landfills.
The orientation is part of OPENRO-EMD’s continuing campaign to instill environmental awareness among schools and communities across South Cotabato.
