HERMOSA, Bataan — Mayor Antonio Joseph “Jopet”Inton on Thursday padlocked the province’s only sanitary landfill facility (SLF) for alleged violation of environmental laws.
The mayor personally served the closure order toEconest Waste Management Corp., operator of the Hermosa sanitary landfill facility in Barangay Mambog.
An office staff of the company received a copy of the order in the absence of lawyer Beulah Coeli Fiel, president and chief operating officer of Econest, and ranking officials.
“Ngayong araw na ito, inisyuhan natin ang operator ng Hermosa sanitary landfill ng stoppage of operation which is temporary in nature in view of the investigation being conducted by DENR EMB dahil sa kanilang mga violation,” Inton said.
He noted that the municipal government has also issued a notice of violation (NOV) last Jan. 28. The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has issued an NOV last Feb. 13.
The mayor said he wanted to inform everyone that the operation of Econest is under a public-private-partnership with the municipal government of Hermosa:
“Hindi ito isang private entity kaya malaki ang karapatan ng pamahalaang bayan na ipasara o ipatigil ang ano mang operasyon na nakakasama sa kalikasan dahil ito ay para sa mga mamamayan.”
“Habang hinihintay natin ang technical conference ng DENR EMB at nagsasagawa tayo ng iba pang imbestigasyon sa kanilang mga violation, itigil muna natin ang operation effective today,” Inton said.
Before the serving of the closure order, the mayor briefed members of the police, marshal and municipal disaster risk reduction management office and other municipal workers at the municipal hall.
“Ngayong araw na ito, napagpasyahan ko na pirmahan ang stoppage of operation ng Econest sa pag-ooperate sa sanitary landfill on violations issued by the Environmental Management Bureau of DENR,” he told them. “Hindi natin pwedeng payagan na patuloy nilang dinudumihan ang ating kapaligiran. Malinaw ang kanilang violation na nakasaad sa NOV ng EMB at pamahalaang local. Kung ano man ang kanilang diversionary tactics, nasa kanila na iyon,” Inton added.
The Hermosa SLF served the towns of Hermosa, Orani, Samal, and Balanga in Bataan, and the municipalities of Castillejos, San Marcelino, San Narciso, San Antonio, San Felipe, Cabanggan, Botolan, Masinloc, iba, and Palauig in Zambales.
