ANGELES CITY – The National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) has filed criminal and administrative complaints against the former mayor of Limay, Bataan and four other former and current municipal officials for violating the Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act against open dumpsites.
In a complaint lodged before the Ombudsman, the NSWMC sued former Limay Mayor Lilver Roque, former municipal planning and development officer Romario Panangui, former municipal environment and natural resources officer Randy Cacho, and current municipal general services chief Danilo Quino.
The NSWMC also filed similar cases against Mayor Cielo Krisel Lagman- Luistro of Tabaco City, Albay and her natural resources and environment officer Reynold Martires.
The NSWMC said the Bataan officials had allegedly operated open dumpsites in Limay’s Barangay St. Francis 1 and Barangay Alangan.
As for the administrative raps, the NSWMC sued the local government officials for grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
“This complaint is executed to show to everyone that the NSWMC is serious in its role of seeing to it that the law is strictly complied with, especially by the local government officials,” the complaint read.
The law defines open dump as “a disposal area wherein the solid wastes are indiscriminately thrown or disposed of without due planning and consideration for environmental and health standards.”
Section 37 of RA 9003 states that no open dumps should be established and operated, nor any practice or disposal of solid waste by any person, including LGUs, which constitutes the use of open dumps for solid wastes, provided that every LGU will convert its open dumps into controlled dumps within three years after the effectivity of this Act and in accordance with the guidelines set in Section 41 of the law and provided, further, that no controlled dumps shall be allowed five years following the effectivity of this Act.”
