CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – “I call on all of our cabalens to please dismiss your fears and do not be anxious. The issue of a looming crisis on garbage is far from happening.”
Thus, Pampanga business leader Rene Romero allayed fears of an environmental disaster in the wake of the impending cessation of operations in October of the Kalangitan Sanitary Landfill in Capas, Tarlac.
The former president and incumbent director of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. made the affirmative declaration after he led his group to an inspection of two sanitary landfills and a solid waste-to-fuel facility in Pampanga which were earlier cited as alternatives to the Capas landfill.
“The new facilities in Porac and Floridablanca can accommodate around 11,000 metric tons of solid wastes per day,” noted Romero.
The sanitary landfill operated by Eco Protect Management Corp. in Porac is reported to have a total capacity of 2,500 metric tons (MT) per day, while that of the Floridablanca Enviro Park Project Corp., has a capacity of 3,500 MT per day.
The materials recovery facility recently opened by Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc., also in Porac, has a capacity of 5,000 MT per day.
For comparison, the Kalangitan Sanitary Landfill operated by the Metro Clark Waste Management Corp. (MCWMC) processes 4,000 to 5,000 MT daily, currently serving 150 local government units and more than a thousand industrial clients that represent roughly 15 million people in Central Luzon, Pangasinan, and the Cordilleras including the Summer Capital of Baguio City.
“The disposal of our wastes must be secured and safe. Kailangan atin yang sustainability. Without sustainability, the problem will just present itself anew,” Romero said.
Earlier, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and the Clark Development Corp. referred LGUs that will be affected by the Kalangitanb Sanitary Landfill closure to consider the Pampanga landfills as alternatives to avoid the disruption of waste management services
This, after citing the legal opinion of the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, the BCDA’s statutory counsel, that the contract between CDC and MCWMC ending on Oct. 6, 2024 cannot be extended even on an ad interim basis as such extension is considered a material deviation, which would violate the Build-Operate-Transfer Law. Photos: PamCham
