CLARK FREEPORT – The Bases Conversion and Development Authority is calling on the Metro Clark Waste Management Corp. (MCWMC) “to uphold the rule of law, to stop trespassing on government property, and to cease its illegal operations” of the Kalangitan Sanitary Landfill in Capas, Tarlac.
In a statement dated Jan. 7, the BCDA denounced what it called the continuous illegal operations of the landfill by MCWMC in violation of the 60-day temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Court of Appeals.
According to the BCDA, the TRO essentially allows it, as the land owner, to recover the state-owned property, there being no effective injunction that will hinder it to do so. It added that there is no valid authority to operate (ATO) and business permit issued over the Kalangitan Sanitary Landfill.
It was recently reported and documented, BCDA claims, that MCWMC has illegally set up a station along the road outside the landfill, encroaching on BCDA land outside of the facility. Aside from the barriers set up by MCWMC preventing recovery efforts, security on the ground reported a foul smell emanating from the Kalangitan Sanitary Landfill, raising health and safety concerns for the neighboring communities.
The BCDA said it immediately contacted representatives from the Philippine National Police, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, as well as sanitation inspectors and public health officials from the Provincial Government of Tarlac and Municipal Government of Capas to prevent further harm to neighboring communities and to authorities on the ground during recovery efforts.
The BCDA renewed its call for local government units, businesses, and other clients to stop using the sanitary landfill, reiterating that the landfill has neither ATO nor business permit. Continued use of the facility, it said, constitutes a violation of existing environmental laws such as RA 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000).
The BCDA also assured the public that it is in coordination with the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau, the concerned LGUs, and other stakeholders to ensure non-disruption of waste management services in affected areas. BCDA Public Affairs
