SEWAGE TREATMENT FACILITY. Officials of San Francisco town on Camotes Island, Cebu, led by Mayor Alfreado Arquillano Jr. (7th from right), pose with representatives of Samjin Precision Co., Ltd. during the completion ceremony of the PHP10-million water treatment facility in Barangay Poblacion on Sept. 11, 2020. Arquillano on Thursday (Sept. 24, 2020) said the facility is now processing 10 cubic meters (1,000 liters) of waste water from the town's public market per day. (Photo courtesy of Engr. Gaga Mendoza)
CEBU CITY – The fishing town of San Francisco on Camotes Island now treats waste water from its public market through a PHP10-million Korean facility to preserve the surrounding pristine beaches and preventing pollution in the area’s rich marine resources.
Mayor Alfredo Arquillano Jr. on Thursday said the town is thankful to the Korean government as among the four municipalities in Camotes, San Francisco is the lone local government that received a grant from the Korean government for the sewage treatment project.
“Well, this is the result of our determination to implement zero waste disposal policy. That Korean technology is the answer to our quest to put a stop to the ill-practices of throwing our solid and waste water to the sea,” he told the Philippine News Agency.
Arquillano said the facility will also solve the town’s sewage disposal problem in many establishments, which affected its positioning as a budding tourist destination and the livelihood of the fisherfolk.
The Korean government, through its Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises, provided the project funds, with the assistance of the technology provider, Samjin Precision Co., Ltd., Sungho Suh, Samjin’s project director told the PNA in an interview.
Sungho said the facility uses the eco-friendly activated sludge method to eliminate or minimize damage to nature.
The San Francisco facility can process a maximum of 10 cubic meters of waste water per day, but Sungho said the technology can be expanded if needed to accommodate more sludge water.
The output purified water is being used as agricultural water, he added.
“Due to the Philippines' geographical composition, it is difficult or impossible to build large-scale facilities due to considerable amount of construction and transportation costs. Therefore, small-scale facilities are excellent both economically and efficient wise,” Sungho said.
He said the company welcomes proposals from other local government units in Cebu that may be interested to set up a mobile waste treatment facility similar to the one installed in San Francisco.
Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-7) information officer, Cindy Pepito, who attended the facility' demonstration last Sept. 11, said the “modular sewage treatment facility” can be a model to other LGUs in implementing their own waste water treatment project.
She said the EMB-7 has been reminding LGUs to manage their solid and waste water as mandated by law.
San Francisco has 15 barangays with 55,180 population based on the 2015 survey. (PNA)
