• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Bacolod City government has extended for one month, or until Jan. 31, 2025, the contracts of IPM Construction and Development Corp. to collect and dispose of garbage, and to manage the operation of the sanitary landfill facility in Barangay Felisa.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod approved Dec. 11 the resolutions of no objection on the decision of the City Mayor’s Office to extend for one month the twin contracts with IPM, which will both end on Dec. 31.
IPM was awarded the contract to collect, haul, and dispose of the city’s garbage, under a weight-based clean-up system, for P227,515,784.16 for 11 months, or from Feb. to Dec. 31, 2024, or more than P20 million a month.
“Monthly payment to the contractor (IPM) shall be based on the actual tonnage collected per month, but total payment for the entire 11-month period must not exceed the maximum total collection tonnage of 115,946.38 tons,” the contract states.
IPM shall directly carry out the collection, cleaning, and disposal of solid waste (excluding non-household hazardous waste) from various sources, such as from households, public markets, satellite markets, public and private institutions, government offices, schools, churches, business establishments, streets including main and secondary roads, alleys, vacant lots, and designated collection points in Bacolod, and transporting these to the landfill disposal site in Barangay Felisa.
It shall also collect the domestic solid waste of industries and government/private hospitals; solid waste from street sweeping and other visual clutters and soil mounds mixed with garbage; debris, refuse, or burned materials caused by fire to include vegetation from waterways, fallen trees, blown galvanized iron (GI) sheets, or debris due to typhoon or other calamities, the contract added.
Services not covered in the contract are the collection of toxic and hazardous hospital infectious wastes, and construction and demolition debris.
Meanwhile, the contract for the management, operation, and maintenance of the sanitary landfill facility, worth P63,997,199.68 for eight months, or P7,999,649.96 a month, started May 1 and will also end on Dec. 31, hence the extension.
Both contracts can be renewed or extended for not more than four months, at the option solely of the city government…if service extension and/or renewal of services is still necessary and until a new bidding is successfully completed, the city said. | CGC
