CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The local government here has expressed fears the materials recovery facility in Porac, Pampanga operated by Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PWS) will become a “stinking open dumpsite.”
This, in the wake of mounting complaints against Binaliw Landfill, a similar PWS-run waste facility in Cebu City, over the stench emanating from it.
“Hindi malayo na maging dumpsite ang Porac facility, base sa kung sino ang operator. Ang nago-operate sa Binaliw Landfill is the same management operating at the Prime Waste MRF sa Porac. Binaliw is not a landfill but an MRF, based on the news and statement of Mayor Raymond Garcia of Cebu City,” said Maria Theresa Doble, officer-in-charge of the city environment and natural resources office.
Published reports said the Cebu City mayor has already ordered an investigation into the “incomplete MRF” of PWS which reportedly emitted foul odors, contaminated water, and faced operational inefficiencies.”
The PWS facility in Porac has been cited by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bases Conversion and Development Authority, and the Clark Development Corp. as one of the accredited 10 waste facilities that can be used by LGUs with the impending closure of the Kalangitan Landfill in Capas, Tarlac next month.
According to Doble, the Porac waste facility with its current capacity, cannot cope with the volume of waste in Central Luzon that the Kalangitan Landfill easily accommodated.
“No, [the PWS in Porac] is only a mechanized MRF not an engineered sanitary landfill wherein they have only residual containment area limited to residual waste,” Doble said.
She explained that for the City of San Fernando alone, “with 35 barangays, only 12 city trucks running daily from 2 a.m. to 10 p.m. and other subdivisions transferring their residual waste in our CMRF, the average residual waste of the city is already 120-125 metric tons a day.”
“The best solution for the waste management is waste reduction, waste diversion and informed and disciplined waste generators,” Doble said.
Garbage crisis
Expressing like fears of a garbage crisis, more than 150 LGUs all over Central Luzon, and parts of Pangasinan and Benguet had been opposing the closure of the only sanitary engineered Kalangitan Landfill in Capas, Tarlac.
The PWS MRF was launched in March 2024 and the operation in Porac is expected to start next month amid opposition from the LGUs.
Senator Raffy Tulfo has earlier expressed fears that LGUs in Central and Northern Luzon will resort back to using illegal dumpsites and riverways to discard effluents “increasing vulnerability to flooding” if the Kalangitan Landfill in Capas, Tarlac will shut down next month.
Most hospitals in Metro Manila are also sending their hospital wastes to the Kalangitan Landfill for disposal. “Kapag alisin po natin ang Kalangitan Landfill – the necessary effect would be that these Local Government Units served by the Landfill would revert to dumping into our waterways and other illegal dumpsites which run the risk of not only poisoning our water supply,” warned the senator.
“Mula noon at hangang ngayon, basura pa rin ang ating problema mula sa mililiit na mga munisipyo hanggang sa pinakamalalaking siyudad,” he said, as he called on the BCDA and DENR “to explain their action and prove to us – or rather, prove to the public – that this would not lead to another disaster waiting to happen.” Tulfo said if the plan of BCDA and CDC to close the Capas waste facility would cause environmental degradation, he urged both government agencies to recall their order to stop the MCWMC operations.
“Nananawagan ako sa mga ahensiyang ito na bawiin na agad ang kanilang proposed action, alang alang na lamang sa mga kababayan nating maaaring biktima na naman ng kalamidad,” he said. Punto News Team/PR
