Upgrade of Public toilets, work in progress

February 17, 2020 Metro BLISTT

The City Government of Baguio is on the move to fast track the upgrading of all public toilet facilities in the city. Councilor Mylen Victoria Yaranon, through a resolution approved last Monday’s regular session, has requested the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) and the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) to
conduct a feasibility study for the possible upgrade of all the city’s public toilet facilities.
Yaranon expressed interest in the development of the public toilet facilities to make them conform to the ASEAN Public Toilet Standard (APTS).
“The upgrade of public toilets is needed in order to better serve Baguio locals and tourists,” Yaranon said. The APTS is a set of guidelines that ASEAN Member States may use to ensure “the quality, comfort, and proper waste management of public toilets in general at touristic destination.” The said standard focuses on four main criteria which are Design and Environmental Management System, Amenities and Facilities, Cleanliness and Safety.
However, CEPM-Officer Rhenan Diwas and City Administrator Bonifacio Dela Peña, said the chief executive had already initiated the project. Diwas and Dela Peña confirmed that the R&R Management and Sanitary Services had been directed by the chief executive to construct a public toilet located at Wright Park executing the architectural design prepared by the CBAO.
Architect Ferdinand Cabanban of the CBAO said the toilet at Wright Park was designed to address inconveniences experienced by persons with disability (PWDs) and children when using the restroom. Aside from being PWD- and child-friendly, the restroom was also designed to have diaper changing areas.
The construction of the toilet at Wright Park is currently on-going. The City Administrator revealed it will serve as the prototype for all the public toilets after its completion and upon the approval of the city mayor.
“We will do an ocular inspection after the construction. Upon the approval of the mayor, we will use the newly constructed toilet at Wright Park as a model for all the public restrooms in the city,” Dela Peña said.
The R&R Management and Sanitary Services have been operating most of the public comfort rooms in the Central Business District, the public market, and various parks since 2001. According to Dela Peña, the R&R Management is expected to implement the upgrading of all the toilets it operates at no cost to the city.
 
Jordan G. Habbiling/ABN