ILOILO – Seven local governments units (LGUs) in the province will setup their own sanitary landfills to address garbage collection and disposal problem.
According to the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO), these towns include
Miag-ao, Janiuay, Mina, Dingle, San Rafael, Igbaras, and Maasin.
Mitzi Peñaflorida, PENRO senior environmental management specialist said that this plan is a compliance of all LGUs under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, particularly citing Section 37 which “prohibits the use of open dumps for solid waste.”
Aside from the seven towns, the municipalities of Tigbauan and New Lucena also aired their plans to have a sanitary landfill that could also cater residual waste from neighboring towns.
Peñaflorida added that the provincial government under the leadership of Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. will be extending their help to those towns that will signify their intentions.
“Nag-promise man si gov (Defensor) kay may budget kita nga ma-augment at the same kon sin-o nga banwa ang ma-cluster sa sina nga municipality mabulig man sila sa pag-finance or established sang landfill,” explained Peñaflorida.
Peñaflorida, however, admitted that establishing a landfill entails big challenge to the towns.
“Mabudlay kuhaon ang acceptance sang community kon sa diin nagakontra sila sa pagpatindog sang sanitary landfill sa pagpati nga makaapekto ini sa ila ikaayong lawas, source of water and sa mga tanum nga vegetables,” she said.
Peñaflorida added: “Ang number one problem naton sa sanitary landfill ang community acceptance pagkabalo gani sang community nga dira sa ila indi gid na sila.”
With this, Peñaflorida assured that PENRO will be strengthening their information campaign to the community.
Based on the guidelines of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, LGUs should conduct first a public hearing within the proposed site before it could establish a solid-waste management facility. LGUs should also seek the approval of the residents living in the area.
But according to Peñaflorida, the local chief executives should make ways to get the acceptance of the public so that they could comply with Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
“No choice sila kay kon indi sila magpatindog sang sanitary landfill magiging non-compliant ang aton banwa,” Peñaflorida stressed./PN
