CLARK FREEPORT – Sue the mayors. This was the admonition of environmentalist Bishop Virgilio Pablo David who expressed here lament over the failure of local government units to comply with the provisions of Republic Act 9003, the law providing for an ecological solid waste management program.
In a recent meeting with Capampangans in Media Inc. (CAMI) here, David lamented the lack of political will of local government officials to enforce unpopular measures so as to comply with the provision of RA 9003.
He said, however, that mayors could be compelled to abide by the law by suing them, such as in cases when they fail to relocate voters along water channels, a situation that leads to heavy pollution of waterways.
David said that suing mayors in such cases would give them excuse for enforcing the law with less antagonism from voters. “Some politicians actually welcome legal suits on environmental law violations so as to find justification (for unpopular actions),” he noted.
“The Philippines has good environmental rules and has many environmental advocates,” he said, but lamented the failure of most local governments to construct sanitary landfills in lieu of open dumpsites which have become illegal under RA 9003.
Most materials recovery facilities (MRF) in our towns have become open dumpsites, he noted. David also lamented the failure of local government units to comply with the law that requires a sanitary sewerage system in their cities and towns, as he stressed that natural water channels are not supposed to end up being the sewers of local liquid wastes. It is illegal for anyone, including the local government, to dump liquid wastes into creeks or rivers without first treating such wastes, he stressed.
