The ECOWAVE Project Team met with leaders of Bacolod’s business and information technology sectors on Nov. 13 at La Consolacion College Bacolod to advance its advocacy on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) management and strengthen support for circular economy initiatives in the city.
The delegation included Dr. Katharina Raab and Prof. Dr. Ralf Wagner of the University of Kassel; Ms. Heike Gundlich of the Hessian Ministry for Agriculture and Environment, Viticulture, Forestry, Hunting, and Homeland Affairs; and Ms. Gabriele Kohlisch of GIZ Germany.
Representatives from key business organizations participated in the meeting, including Mr. Alfredo G. Barcelona, director of the Bacolod Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc.; Atty. Juliana Carbon, president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc., with staff representative Mr. Edward Relator; and Aisel Joyce Tupas and Mr. Levi Trio of the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for Information and Communications Technology (BNEFIT), Inc.
Also present were Mr. Mark Siatta and Ms. Maricel Jarencio, advisers from GIZ Philippines.
The discussions focused on the role of local industries in reducing WEEE leakage, improving waste handling practices, and supporting the ECOWAVE Project’s efforts to empower women in the informal waste sector through sustainable livelihood and proper e-waste stream management.
Dr. Rodjhun B. Navarro, LCCB Vice President for Research, Innovation and Linkages and Project Director, emphasized the importance of cross-sector participation in addressing e-waste challenges.
“The circular economy thrives when communities, businesses, and government work together,” Navarro said. “By engaging Bacolod’s business and IT sectors, we are strengthening the city’s ability to responsibly manage e-waste and ensuring that sustainable solutions benefit both the environment and the people—especially women in the informal waste sector.”
The ECOWAVE Project continues its series of engagements with local stakeholders as part of a broader multi-sectoral effort to build a resilient, data-driven, and community-centered WEEE management system for Bacolod City.