HEALTH PROBLEMS PERCEIVED BY THE RESIDENTS OF BARANGAY

BONBONON, ILIGAN CITY FROM THE DUMPSITE: IMPLICATION TO

LESSEN THE HEALTH RISK FACTORS FROM THE DUMPSITE

A Research Paper Presented To

Senior High School Faculty
Suarez National High School
Iligan City

In Partial Fulfilment of the

Requirements for the Course
Project Research III

By

Baluran, Reymart R.
Mamadas, Louie O.
Duhaylungsod, Jina
Masiada, Mae Clair
Piang, Ciara May
Cabil, Maelou Jean

(March, 2019)
 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Background of the Study

Garbage is one of the most problem of all building nation. According to the

Department of Health (DOH), In addressing the issue of proper health care waste

disposal is of paramount concern not only for environmentalists or other members of

the health sector but for the whole society as well. In fact, there is a Republic Act for

the waste disposal and pollution, the Republic Act No. 8749 otherwise known as the

Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1999 this provides the policy framework for the

country's air quality management program. It seeks to uphold the right of every

Filipino to breathe clean air by addressing air pollution from mobile and stationary

sources. And, the Republic Act No. 9003 known as the Ecological Solid Waste

Management (ESWM) Act of 2000 An act providing for an ecological solid waste

management program. This Republic Acts both pushes for reforms in the management

of health care waste.

Open dumpsites is very common to the Philippines. Year 2012, A dumpsite

which is located in Purok 10, Sitio Bangko, Barangay Bonbonon, Iligan City was

established. This was served as the main dumpsite of the Iligan City. As the time

passed by, the dumpsite began to get filled with a lot of garbage’s and the residence of

the Baranggay Bonbonon were affected. As a main dumpsite of whole city, it was

expected to contain a large amount of garbage’s. According to the current condition of

Solid Waste Management of Iligan City they estimated the amount of garbage that is

collected per day, as presented a total collection is assessed at 150 to 210 metric tons

per day depending on the season.

 The untreated garbage that was delivered to a dumpsite is one of the health

risk factors. The researchers, was aware that this health problems caused by an open

dumpsites should be given a solution. Health is very important for the survival of a

person. Open dumpsite could be seen as an opportunity of work sometimes, but

always seen to contain different kinds of garbage’s that is a threat to the person’s

health. They are alarmed by this issue that really affect a nation. This issue should be

addressed in order for the City of Iligan to continue grow as a healthy environment. It

is important for a nation to have a health-friendly environment.

Objective of the Study

This study aims to determine the perceived health problems that the residence in

Sitio Bangko, Barangay Bonbonon, Iligan City experienced.

Specifically, this paper aims:

 To determine that age, gender and economic status of the respondents that can

effect on their health.

 To know the reasons on perceiving health problems.

 To know how aware the respondents are when it comes to health risk factors

from the dumpsites.

 To determine what are the dumpsite failures that the respondents experience.

Significance of the Study

The result of this study will help the LGU of Iligan City improve their public

service and decision making in achieving healthy environment in the Iligan City.

To the Iligan City Solid Waste Management, the result will give insight as to how

the solid waste management issues affect the health of the people

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 To the Health Sectors of Iligan City, this study will contribute on their better

health service for the public.

To the Barangay Administrators, the result will give insights on the proper waste

disposal and on how to protect the health of the residents.

To the residents, this study will give knowledge on the harmful effects they

perceived from the dumpsite and ideas on how to prevent acquiring diseases.

To the other researchers, the data gathered in the study may serve as baseline and

references for future studies related to the present study and for other researchers to

look into other variables not covered within the bound of this study.

Statement of the Problem

This paper intent to study on the perceived health problems of people living

near the open dumpsite of Sitio Bangko, Barangay Bonbonon, Iligan City.

Specifically, it answers the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

a. Gender

b. Age

c. Educational Attainment

d. Employment Status

2. What are the waste disposal problems the respondents experienced?

3. What are the health problems that the respondents encounter?

4. What recommendations would the researchers address?

3
Scope and Delimitation

This study focuses on the perceived health problems of people that are

residing near the open dumpsite located in Purok 10, Sitio Bangko, Barangay

Bonbonon, Iligan City (Fig.1). This research is conducted only to the twenty (20)

randomly selected respondents residing near the open dumpsite.

This Site

Fig.1 Location of the study area in Sitio Bangko, Brgy. Bonbonon, Iligan City

4
Definition of Terms

Angina pectoris- is the medical term for chest pain or discomfort due to coronary
heart disease.it occurs when the heart muscle doesn’t get a much blood as it needs.
Asthma- A respiratory condition marked by spasms in the bronchi of the lungs,
causing difficulty in breathing it usually results from an allergic reaction on other
forms of hypersensitivity.
Bubonic Plague- a disease that causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever and chills, and
extreme weakness.
Cholera- an infectious disease that causes watery diarrhea, caused by eating a food or
drinking contaminated water.
Chest pain- pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina,
heart attack (coronary occlusion), and other important disease.
Diarrhea- A condition in which feces are discharged from the bowels frequently

Incineration- A process of combustion designed to recover energy and reduce the

volume of waste going to disposal.
Malaria – is a life threatening mosquito-borne blood disease. The anopheles
mosquito transmits it to humans.
Sanitary Landfill- A site wherein the waste are isolated from the environment for

safety.

Skin rashes- an itchy skin eruption characterized by weals with pale interiors and
well-defined re margins; usually the result of an allergic response to insect bites, food
or drugs.
Typhoid- A fever, its symptoms are having poor appetite, abdominal pain, headaches,
high fever (often up to 40°C), and diarrhea or constipation.

Trachoma- is an infectious disease caused by bacterium chlamydia- trachomatis the

infection causes a roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids.
Plasmodium genus- is a genus of unicellular eukaryotes that are obligate parasites of
vertebrates and insects.

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 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents the related literature and studies after the thorough and

in-depth search done by the researchers. This will also present the synthesis of solid

waste issues and health risk to fully understand the research to be done and for better

comprehension of the study.

Review of Related Literature

Dumpsites are commonly seen as a filthy and rubbish place. A place where all

the garbages that were collected are dump and to be decompose. Basically, dumpsite

is a polluted area of a city. Residence living near the dumpsite have a very high

possibility of getting ill. The water could be contaminated, the land would be polluted

as well as the air. In the Iligan City, the main dumpsite is located in Sitio Bangko,

Barangay Bonbonon, Iligan City. Wherein there is a lot of people living near the area.

A lot of families could be found there. They also take the Dumpsite as an opportunity

for them to survive. They collect trash and sell them, they had considered it as their

livelihood.

Historically trash had just been “tossed” out of our living areas. In cities trash

and human waste was simply thrown into the streets or outside the gates. As cities

became more populated and disease spread mankind came to the realization that

throwing waste into the streets was contributing to the spread of devastating disease

outbreaks and making cities centers of filth and disease. Bubonic Plague, Cholera, and

Typhoid fever were just a few of the diseases spread by filth that harbored rats, and

contaminated water supplies. (Ward, E).

 Exposure to hazardous waste can affect human health, children being more

vulnerable to these pollutants. In fact, direct exposure can lead to diseases through

chemical exposure as the release of chemical waste into the environment leads to

chemical poisoning. Waste treatment and disposal sites can also create health hazards

for the neighbourhood. Improperly operated incineration plants cause air pollution

and improperly managed and designed landfills attract all types of insects and rodents

that spread disease. (http://edugreen.teri.res.in).

In order for the City Government to keep the residence living near the

dumpsite on getting different illness or diseases they should have the major methods

of waste management; Recycling, Composting, Sewage Treatment, Incineration,

Landfill. (Rushton, Lesley). The World Health Organization (W.H.O) suggested that

priority pollutants should be defined on the basis of toxicity, environmental

persistence and mobility, bioaccumulation and other hazards such as explositivity.

The Iligan City Government has already declared the “No Segragation, No

collection of waste” in mostly of all the Barangays. It is one way of making the open

dumpsite in Baranga Bonbonon a sanitary landfill. In this idea of the City

Government., also with the help of the residence of Iligan City. The diseases and

illness that can be obtained by the residence living the open-dumpsite would be

lessen.

A city really needs a place wherein the garbages will be dump and to be

dicompose. Ideally these sites should be located at a safe distance from all human

settlement. Landfill sites should be well lined and walled to ensure that there is no

leakage into the nearby ground water sources. Proper waste management is very

7
neccessary. Diseases and illness that a person could get from a dumpsite is very

crucial. A healthy life is a great investment for a better future.

Health Risk from Dumpsites

Exposure to hazardous waste can affect human health. High-risk group include

population living close to a waste dump and that water supply has become

contaminated either due to waste dumping or leakage from landfill sites. Waste

produced by humans is a source of environmental contamination and a proportion of

this waste is disposed of in landfills, particularly in urban areas. A landfill can be

considered as a dynamic reactor, since chemical and biological reactions result in

emission of gases; liquid effluents and mineralized waste. (Rio,2011). Direct handling

of solid waste can result in various types of infectious and chronic diseases with the

waste workers and the rag pickers being the most vulnerable. In fact, direct exposure

can lead to diseases through chemical exposure as the release of chemical waste into

the environment leads to chemical poisoning. Many studies have been carried out in

various parts of the world to establish a connection between health and hazardous

waste.

Waste treatment and disposal sites can also create health hazards for the

neighborhood. Improperly operated incineration plants cause air pollution and

improperly managed and designed landfills attract all types of insects and rodents that

spread disease. A number of other community health surveys have investigated a wide

range of health problems, including respiratory symptoms; irritation of skin, nose, and

eyes; gastrointestinal problems; fatigue; headaches; psychological disorders; and

allergies. (Vrijheid, 2000).

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 Waste dumps or landfills are generally safely constructed to minimize any

form of negative externality, (e.g. pollution of ground water via leaching) to the

surrounding areas. (Olurinola, 2014). But unfortunately most of the nations have an

open dumpsite wherein the neighboring households where affected. Dumpsites could

also be a source of livelihood. For many urban poor, dump sites are places of work for

waste pickers, waste collectors using push-cart to dump refuse on waste sites, waste

buyers who sell them to recyclers and re-users, among others. Thus, the waste dump

is usually busy with activities of waste picking, waste dumping, waste sorting among

others, in spite of the environmental filth that pervades the surroundings. According to

the research study of Isaiah Olunranti Olurinola of the Health implications of waste

dumpsites in Lagos, Nigeria, many of the respondents reported that the dumpsite-

generated pollution makes them suffer different types of ailments such as constant

bouts of malaria as a result of infection from mosquitoes’ bites; chest-related ailments

resulting from inhalation of fumes from waste incineration; as well as all kinds of skin

and body irritations.

Being affected by pollution (via odor and burning) is negatively related to the

distance of residential homes from the dumpsite. In other words the farther the

residential house is from the dumpsite, the lower is the rate of being affected by

smoke as well as offensive and disease-carrying odor from dumpsites.(Olurinola,

2014).

Garbage Dumpsite

A dumpsite is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial. It is the

oldest form of waste treatment. Historically, landfills have been the most common

method of organized waste disposal and remain so in many places around the

9
world. Dumpsites are often the most cost-efficient way to dispose of waste, especially

in countries with large open spaces. While resource recovery and incineration both

require extensive investments in infrastructure, and material recovery also requires

extensive manpower to maintain, landfills have fewer fixed or ongoing costs,

allowing them to compete favorably. Dumpsite has the potential to cause a number of

issues.

Iligan City Dumpsite

Residents of Barangay Bonbonon and Digkilaan feel their livelihood and food

security are threatened by landfill leachate contaminating Dodiongan Falls. ...

Digkilaan and Bonbonon are remote barangays that have no access to the Water

District's services. They rely primarily on springs and deep wells. The government-

owned and -controlled Central Materials Recovery Facility in Bonbonon had a clean

start. But because processing machines started to break down due to excessive amount

of garbage, the local government unit turned a portion of the lot into a landfill. Since

then, residents started to see black and brown liquid being carried by the streams into

the falls and nearby rivers which were approximately a couple of kilometers below

the landfill. Residents complained that the contamination has caused skin diseases to

some. A local guide said tourists notice the murky waters. They fear this would

discourage tourists and affect their means of living. Digkilaan residents also fear that

it would contaminate their drinking water in the long run. Digkilaan and Bonbonon

are remote barangays that have no access to the Water District's services. They rely

primarily on springs and deep wells.

The landfill in Barangay Bonbonon is estimated an area of five (5) hectares

was very devastating to see. Barangay Bonbonon is surrounded of numerous

10
mountains but there is only one mountain that is very scary to climb, the “Mountain of

Waste”. The landfill was expected to have a Material and Recovery facility wherein

the garbage will be put in the machinery to be treated but it was long time ago that the

machines were functioning. A lot of garbage is collected every day that caused the

machine to break down. The breakdown of the machinery now become a window of

opportunity to the people residing near the dumpsite. Almost all the resident of Sitio

Bangko, Bonbonon, Iligan City are working inside the landfill under the supervision

of the Local Government.

Iligan City Garbage Disposal

According to the National Statistics Office of the Philippines, Year 2015,

Iligan City has a total population of 342,618 and this number of population is

changing +1.14%/year. The population of Iligan City produces different kinds of

waste materials that contribute to the existing amount of garbage that are dump in the

landfill at Barangay Bonbonon. Iligan City consist of 44 barangays and it is estimated

by the Public Service Division that this populated barangays generate an unsegregated

waste of 163.6tons/day.

The activity of household waste collection system for mixed waste with

recyclable and/or recoverable materials are “pick-up” by the garbage collector usually

leave/hang waste placed in plastic bags, sacks, boxes or bins near the gate. These left

materials are being collected either segregated or not-segregated. During the

collection in households, the collectors usually sort out the saleable,

recyclables/recoverable garbage for additional earnings.

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Waste Disposal Problems

August 2013, the five-hectare sanitary landfill opened in Iligan City but in its

current state of mixed waste disposal, this is an open dumpsite. Actually, the Republic

Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, 2000, prohibits all open

and controlled dumpsites.

However, since the garbage is toned, the juice extract is overflowing with the

treatment boxes. It also does not filter and treat the garlic extract. According to

residents, dirty extract goes straight to some water bodies. Poorly run landfills may

become nuisances because of vectors such as rats and flies which can

spread infectious diseases.

Solutions of the LGU Iligan

Year 2018 Nora Soriňo the Iligan City chief said in the Mindanao gold star

daily that the city will implement “no segregation, no collection policy. Also Jun Lino

Bacus, the city’s public services division added that the collection of the city’s

garbage will no longer be done house to house but at each Brgy. Materials recovery

facility (BMRF). During the time of Mayor Quijano the main dumpsite of Iligan City

was located in Brgy. Santiago until then, year 2004 when mayor Cruz was elected the

(10) hectares of open dumpsite in Brgy. Santiago that lasted for more than (30) years

became a big problem.

Executive order no. 5s series of 2016 year 2016, the LGU Iligan created a

committee to conduct a study on the waste processing and gasification plant

technology as year 2009 the LGU Iligan implements the city ordinance of No.09-5488

saying that “NO SEGREGATION/NO COLLECTION OF WASTE”.

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Proper Waste Disposal

Proper waste disposal is critical due to the fact that certain types of waste’s

can be hazardous and can contaminate the environment if not handled properly. These

types of waste also have the potential to cause disease or get into water supplies.

Hazardous wastes that are not properly disposed of can leak and contaminate soil and

water, which can lead to issues with both the environment and human health. Burning

the wrong types of waste can release gases into the atmosphere. When waste is

properly discarded, special liners are used to prevent toxic chemicals from leaking out

and precautions are taken so that any methane related to burning trash contained.

When waste is disposed of properly, it helps to prevent additional pollution

which can improve public health polluted air increases the risk of respiratory illness.

Waste that is properly disposed of has a lesser chance of getting into the water supply

and causing illness.

Possible Health Problems

The waste landfill sites are major source of land, air, ground and surface

water pollution. This is very harmful for the people especially who resides near

landfill sites. Different health problems could possibly be acquired like

Gastrointestinal diseases that may be caused by rodents or contaminated food or

water. Respiratory problems caused by smokes coming from the burning of waste or

bad odor and polluted air. Cancer like lung cancer due to too much exposure from the

smoke from burning of waste or even the polluted air. Skin diseases that may be

caused by polluted water or insects coming from the landfill. Neurological Problems

that are caused by the unpleasant odor or polluted air. Immune Diseases that may be

caused by the bacteria, insects or rodents from the dumpsite. There are more countless

13
health problems from the dumpsites. Some of it are severe. The above mentioned are

just the couple health problems that are known.

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 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH PROCEDURES

This chapter tackles on research methodology that contains the methods and

process on how this research is done. This includes: research design, locale and

setting of the study, the subject of the study, gathering data procedure, research

instruments, data analysis tools used.

Research Design

This study uses the survey qualitative and quantitative research type. This deals

with descriptive and numerical method of gathering data wherein a questionnaire will

be use to gather information from 20 respondents in Purok 10, Sitio Bangko,

Barangay Bonbonon, Iligan City. Informal conversation will be use so that we would

be able to speak and express spontaneously without being pressured. Based on the

research design the conduct of the study follows the specified research process (Fig.2)

and flow chart methods (Fig.3) as guide, for conducting the research.

Locale and Setting of the Study

This study will be conducted in Purok 10, Sitio Bangko, Barangay Bonbonon,

Iligan City (Fig.1). There is an open dumpsite that serves as the main dumpsite of the

Iligan City and also it is where the Central Recovery and Composting Facility

(CMRF) project of the City Government was located

Year 2013, the five (5) hectares that should be a Sanitary Landfill in Sitio

Bangko, Barangay Bonbonon, Iligan City was opened, instead of becoming a Sanitary

Landfill. It became an open dumpsite because of the tons of garbage collected all

around the city. The garbage’s should not go directly to the landfill instead it must
undergo a segregation using the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), but it has been

over two years that this facility is not functioning. The garbage extracts are now

flowing to the waters of Barangay Bonbonon that affects the residence, in the same

time became a threat to their health.

This Site

Fig.1 Location of the study area in Sitio Bangko, Brgy. Bonbonon, Iligan City

Subject of the Study

The subject of the study will be the people living near the dumpsite of Purok

10, Sitio Bangko, Barangay Bonbonon, Iligan City. There will be twenty (20)

randomly selected respondents to answer the questions that the researchers will

provide. The Barangay’s population was 2,503 and had a number of 305 households

according to the Census of Population and Housing – National Statistics Office year

2015. Most commonly the livelihood of the resident in Barangay Bonbonon was

Farming crops, sari-sari store, barbecue grilling and waste sorting. Mr. Omar Cader is

the Barangay Captain of Bonbonon, Iligan City with him are the seven (7) barangay

counselors.

16
The Research Instrument

The research instrument that will be used in data gathering are the

questionnaires, interview and focus group. The questionnaires are composed of

twenty (20) carefully formulated questions to avoid biases and also to avoid offending

the respondents. The questions are related to the perceive health problems of the

people living near the dumpsite.

Data Collection

A. Primary data collection

Primary data will be obtained by using a survey questionnaire, interview and

focus group. These will be the research instruments to be used in the study, written in

English and will be translated in Vernacular or Cebuano. The research instrument is

pre-tested. The data will focus on: (1) the socio-demographic profile of the

respondents in terms of age, gender, monthly income, educational attainment and

social status; and (2) the perceived health problems of the respondents and their

awareness about the health risk factors from the dumpsite.

Data Gathering Procedure

An interview will be conducted to the twenty (20) randomly selected

respondents from the Purok 10, Sitio Bangko, Barangay Bonbonon, Iligan City. The

interview schedule will be divided into two objectives; (1) The socio-economic

information of the respondents that influenced their health problems (2) The

perceived health problems of the respondents from the dumpsite. In conducting the

survey questionnaires and interview, a total of 20 respondents will be taken as sample

in the study. Informal conversations will be use so that they would be able to speak

and express spontaneously without being pressured. The questionnaire and its content

17
are developed and validated through extended discussions with the Research Adviser.

The respondents will be interviewed individually in their convenient area. They are

given a copy of the questions to be asked in the interview and were allowed enough

time to think on their answers. Likewise before the interview began, an introductory

statement was given to help set the tone of the interview.

Data Analysis Tools Used

1. Frequency and Percentage Distribution

Formula:

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦
P(%) = 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 x100 Where:

P = is the percentage
𝑛
P(%) = 𝑁 x 100
n= number of respondents who
answer

N= number of respondent

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 PROBLEMS

1. Are there socio-economic conditions of the respondents that influence

ISSUE there health problems.

Health 2. Are there factors such as improper waste disposal management,

problems of unpleasant odor and pollution that contributes to the perceived health
the people problems of the respondents.
living near the
dumpsite 3. Are there financial problems that intercept them to live a healthy life.

Study Title
Perceived Health Problems of the People Living near the Dumpsite in Sitio Bangko, Barangay Bonbonon,
Iligan City

Objectives
This study aims to determine the perceived health problems that the residence in Sitio Bangko, Barangay
Bonbonon, Iligan City experienced.

Specifically, this paper aims:

 To determine that age, gender and economic status of the respondents that can effect on their
health.
 To know the reasons on perceiving health problems.
 To know how aware the respondents are when it comes to health risk factors from the dumpsites.
 To determine what are the dumpsite failures that the respondents experience.

Methods: Observations, Interviews, Survey questionnaires and Focus group

Expected Outputs:
-Implications of groundwater quality and utilization to sustainability and management
1. Profile of the respondents
2. Waste disposal problems of the dumpsite
3. Awareness of the respondents on the harmful effects of the dumpsite

Qualitative and Quantitative analysis

Recommendation for the Implication To Lessen The Health Risk Factors From The Dumpsite

Fig.2 The systematic process involved in the study in relation to issues, problems,
hypothesis and objectives of the study.

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Preliminary Protocol: The approval of the Barangay Captain in Barangay Bonbonon,
Iligan City

Visitation Phase: The condition of the open dumpsite and its distance from the
household

Administering of survey questionnaire, and conducting interview to the respondents that

are residing near the dumpsite in Sitio Bangko, Bonbonon, Iligan City

N=20 Respondent

Data collecting, processing (tallying, tabulating) Determination of the profile that

influence the health problems

 Demographic profile
 Age
 Gender
 Status in the Community
 Educational attainment
 Employment Status
 Monthly family income

Determine the factors that can contribute to residence health problems

 Lack of awareness
 Waste disposal problems
 Pollutions

Data quantitative analysis

Recommendation for the Implication To Lessen The Health Risk Factors

From The Dumpsite
Fig.3 The flow chart of methods involved in the conduct of the study.

20