ANGELES CITY – “Don’t deny.”
Thus San Fernando Auxiliary Bishop Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David admonished City of San Fernando Mayor Oscar Rodriguez to admit the operations of the city’s open dumpsite in Barangay Lara which was exposed in photographs by Punto last week.
“It’s not denial but honest admission that the problem is beyond our control,” David advised Rodriguez who reiterated last week in Sun-Star Pampanga that there are no open dumpsites in the component city.
Rodriguez said that there is a “residual waste storage” in Lara where the city’s materials recovery facility (MRF) could also be found. The mayor reacted to the photos of Punto’s Bong Lacson showing the dumping of unsegregated garbage in an open dumpsite just a few meters away from the FVR megadike.
David said “residual waste storage” is another name for MRF.
“I have not checked the dumpsite in Lara of late after I was told by city officials earlier that they would close it. But based on the photos of Punto (February 4 issue), it’s definitely an open dumpsite in operation,” said David in a phone interview on Sunday. David is the head convenor of the environmental group Save Sapang Balen Creek (SSBC) and pastor of the Holy Rosary Parish Church here.
The waste brought to the MRF should have been segregated at source or in the barangay where it came from, he said.
“This will lessen the segregation of waste at the MRF. The place in Lara as photographed by Punto showed several plastic bags and other wastes mixed together,” said David, implying there was no segregation undertaken prior to its dumping.
David, however, stressed that Rodriguez had “done well” in dealing with the solid waste management and other environmental concerns compared with other mayors. But he added that the three-term mayor “has to do more.”
“Oca’s rehabilitation of the river in San Fernando is commendable. But it’s not yet completed,” said David.
The Roman Catholic bishop said that he is not “singling out” Rodriguez as the problem on solid waste “is being experienced nationwide.”
David urged Rodriguez – president of the League of Cities of the Philippines — to rally the mayors to come up with a “permanent and effective” solution.
“Mayor Oca is in a good position being the president of city mayors in the country. They should hold a summit and come up with a collective effort to solve the problem,” said David who is set to lead an inspection of open dumpsites in Pampanga.
David said he and the SSBC “are not issuing a tall order to Rodriguez and other mayors.
He added that they “are merely” reminding the mayors and barangay chairmen to follow Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act signed into law ten years ago by then president and now Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
David said the country had plenty of “very good environmental laws,” including RA 9003, compared to other nations.
“The problem is in the implementation,” said David.
Earlier, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje asked the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) in Central Luzon to close the open or controlled dumps beginning January 27.
Ordered closed were dumps in the cities of San Fernando and Angeles, and the towns of Arayat, Floridablanca, Guagua, Mabalacat, Macabebe, Magalang, Masantol, Mexico, Minalin, Porac, San Luis, Sasmuan, Sta. Ana and Sto. Tomas.
Based on copies of notices of closure, DENR regional director Ricardo Calderon said Pampanga local governments have failed to comply with RA 9003.
Thus San Fernando Auxiliary Bishop Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David admonished City of San Fernando Mayor Oscar Rodriguez to admit the operations of the city’s open dumpsite in Barangay Lara which was exposed in photographs by Punto last week.
“It’s not denial but honest admission that the problem is beyond our control,” David advised Rodriguez who reiterated last week in Sun-Star Pampanga that there are no open dumpsites in the component city.
Rodriguez said that there is a “residual waste storage” in Lara where the city’s materials recovery facility (MRF) could also be found. The mayor reacted to the photos of Punto’s Bong Lacson showing the dumping of unsegregated garbage in an open dumpsite just a few meters away from the FVR megadike.
David said “residual waste storage” is another name for MRF.
“I have not checked the dumpsite in Lara of late after I was told by city officials earlier that they would close it. But based on the photos of Punto (February 4 issue), it’s definitely an open dumpsite in operation,” said David in a phone interview on Sunday. David is the head convenor of the environmental group Save Sapang Balen Creek (SSBC) and pastor of the Holy Rosary Parish Church here.
The waste brought to the MRF should have been segregated at source or in the barangay where it came from, he said.
“This will lessen the segregation of waste at the MRF. The place in Lara as photographed by Punto showed several plastic bags and other wastes mixed together,” said David, implying there was no segregation undertaken prior to its dumping.
David, however, stressed that Rodriguez had “done well” in dealing with the solid waste management and other environmental concerns compared with other mayors. But he added that the three-term mayor “has to do more.”
“Oca’s rehabilitation of the river in San Fernando is commendable. But it’s not yet completed,” said David.
The Roman Catholic bishop said that he is not “singling out” Rodriguez as the problem on solid waste “is being experienced nationwide.”
David urged Rodriguez – president of the League of Cities of the Philippines — to rally the mayors to come up with a “permanent and effective” solution.
“Mayor Oca is in a good position being the president of city mayors in the country. They should hold a summit and come up with a collective effort to solve the problem,” said David who is set to lead an inspection of open dumpsites in Pampanga.
David said he and the SSBC “are not issuing a tall order to Rodriguez and other mayors.
He added that they “are merely” reminding the mayors and barangay chairmen to follow Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act signed into law ten years ago by then president and now Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
David said the country had plenty of “very good environmental laws,” including RA 9003, compared to other nations.
“The problem is in the implementation,” said David.
Earlier, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje asked the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) in Central Luzon to close the open or controlled dumps beginning January 27.
Ordered closed were dumps in the cities of San Fernando and Angeles, and the towns of Arayat, Floridablanca, Guagua, Mabalacat, Macabebe, Magalang, Masantol, Mexico, Minalin, Porac, San Luis, Sasmuan, Sta. Ana and Sto. Tomas.
Based on copies of notices of closure, DENR regional director Ricardo Calderon said Pampanga local governments have failed to comply with RA 9003.
