ADCL’s Sonny Dobles (inset) points at the creek affected by the open dumpsite in barangay Lara, City of San Fernando. Photos by Ric Gonzales
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – “Be a role model.”
Thus stressed Sonny Dobles, newly elected president of the Alliance for the Development of Central Luzon (ADCL), as he called on Mayor Oscar “Oca” Rodriguez to “accept the truth that there is huge and worsening problem on garbage in San Fernando.”
“As president of the city mayors in the country, Mayor Oca can rally them to apply the reliable, lawful and effective measure against waste,” Dobles said.
An ally of President Aquino, Rodriguez is the president of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP).
In a text message on Monday, Rodriguez said “thanks, (I) will look into that. (I) just arrived from Geneva (Switzerland).”
Dobles said that “worse, waste with value is collected at a warehouse in (Barangay) Lara and the leftovers are thrown in a nearby open dumpsite.”
Dobles inspected the open dumpsite over the weekend and said “they even found a way to earn from the garbage but not find a way to save Mother Nature.”
He said that the facility which is supposed to be for the Biosphere Gasification had been used to segregate waste for commercial and business purposes.
“The scavengers are left with almost nothing. Most of which are plastics,” said Dobles. He added that garbage is “burned indiscriminately at the dumpsite.”
He also said that he is not “singling out” Rodriguez as the problem on solid waste “is being experienced nationwide.” But Rodriguez “is in complete denial making the problem more difficult to solve.”
Dobles said that Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act signed into law 11 years ago should be strictly implemented. He added that Rodriguez should not push for “unaccepted and unlawful” biosphere technology.
Dobles said RA 9003 asked mayors and village chiefs “to segregate waste at source” and would later be brought to a Material Recovery Facility (MRF).
“It will greatly reduce garbage thrown at sanitary landfill such the one in Kalangitan, Tarlac,” he said.
The waste could also be turned into fertilizers as done in other areas like in some Bulacan towns, he added.
