Three (3) Hall of Fame awardees of the province’s Search for Model School in Solid Waste Management that was launched by the Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) in 2008, have sustained their SWM Best Practices despite on a few years of hiatus being disqualified for garnering 3 consecutive years first place award.
In a recent visit to Hall of Famers Silway 8 National High School (2009-2011), Polomolok Central Elementary School (20012-2014) and Sto. Nino National High School (2012-2014), this writer in an interview with the present school management could confirm that the schools are still on high gear about proper solid waste management particularly on waste segregation, recycling, bio/vermi-composting, organic gardening and management of their respective residual containment area and material recovery facility.
In fact, the present Polomolok CES Principal Hiyasminda Diolanto even boasted that they were able to construct a new conference room equipped with an airconditioner, renovated their RCA/MRF and vermin-beds and upgraded their existing water system. And as an added bonus for them is the positive remarks they received during the visit of a school from Gen. Santos City which benchmarked on their SWM best practices which was personally witnessed by this writer also.
Sto. Nino NHS, on the other hand, under the helm of then Principal Stephen Salazar bought a new 5-HP airconditioner with digital inverter for their newly-refurbished audio-visual room and constructed plant boxes and vermi-beds.
The two were recipients of the P100,000.00 Hall of Fame cash incentive in 2012 that was endorsed for funding by Governor Daisy Avance Fuentes and approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
Silway NHS, though a non-recipient of the Hall of Famer cash incentive, still was able to enhance its SWM initiatives from the cash prizes it received as 3 consecutive years first place winner.
But the two schools, Silway 8 NHS and Sto. Nino NHS, have the same issues as far as the construction of additional buildings in their respective campus intended for the Senior High School. It destroyed their organic vegetable garden, herbarium ornamental plants and vermi-beds!
But with their “never say die” attitude,” it is still business as usual for they only transferred their damaged gardens and ermi-beds to another location in the campus.
Kudos to principals Jocelyn Cosep (Silway 8 NHS), Rosmie Salada (Plomolok CES) and Stephen Salazar (Sto. Nino NHS). With your dynamic leadership, you are the source of pride of the province as Best Implementers in Solid Waste Management.
