ILOILO City – The city government is allowing the municipality of Leganes to dump its garbage at the Calajunan sanitary landfill in Mandurriao district.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) authorized Mayor Jose Espinosa III to enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the local government unit of Leganes for the garbage dumping.
Leganes has been disposing its garbage in an open pit dumpsite which is prohibited under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. The law requires that such must be closed and rehabilitated.
Only Councilor Plaridel Nava objected to Leganes’ use of the city’s dumpsite.
“We do not know what kind of garbage from Leganes will be dumped at the Calajunan dumpsite,” he said.
The proposed MOA was silent on compliance to the Solid Waste Management Act, said Nava.
The councilor also wondered if the city’s dumpsite was capable of accommodating garbage from outside the metro.
“We have our own garbage problem. The people of Mandurriao have been complaining about the foul small from the dumpsite, especially when it rains. Before we address the problem of other cities and municipalities, we should first address our own problem,” said Nava.
Councilor R Leone Gerochi, chairperson of the SP committee on public services, environmental protection and ecology, recommended an additional provision in the MOA.
“In the dumping of residual waste in the landfill, the second party (Leganes) shall observe all pertinent legal and applicable laws for the proper and legal disposal of solid waste,” said Gerochi.
According to Gerochi, the town has decided to invest on its own waste-to-energy facility.
“They are now in the process of building sang ila waste-to-energy facility. But in the meantime nga wala sila sang sanitary landfill gaayo sila sa city kon pwede ma-accommodate ila residual wastes for one year in our landfill,” said Gerochi.
During a committee hearing on July 4, 2018 a representative of the Leganes municipal environment and natural resources office said the residual wastes that the town would dump at the Calajunan dumpsite were non-biodegradable wastes and a mere seven percent of the total volume of the town’s garbage each day.
Engineer Neil Ravena, in-charge of the Calajunan dumpsite, said it could still accommodate residual wastes from Leganes.
The town will pay the prevailing rate which is P4 per kilo of waste for one year./PN
