Rodriguez mayor shuts down provincial landfill

MANILA, Philippines - Rodriguez, Rizal mayor Pedro Cuerpo has formally shut down the Rizal provincial landfill for allegedly disposing leachate, a toxic liquid by-product of garbage, into a Montalban river. In her report in GMA News’ 24 Oras, Tricia Zafra said Cuerpo shut down the landfill after it was found out that its operator, International Solid Waste Integrated Specialist (ISWIS), has been violating sanitary measures. Due to the shut down, Metro Manila garbage collectors would no longer be allowed to dump their load to the site starting Friday. Cuerpo said garbage collectors could instead use the landfill in nearby San Mateo town. Among the evidence used by Cuerpo in shutting down the landfill is a video footage taken by the municipal government showing how the dumpsite is leaking its liquid waste to the Lukutan Munti River. “’Yung katas na nahalo sa ka-ilugan bumababa lahat ‘yan sa Wawa, sa Laguna Lake. At ang Laguna Lake ang siyang dapat mag deklara, ‘yung leachate na itinapon dito sa amin nagpunta sa Laguna Lake, hindi ba ito makakapinsala doon sa mga isda? (The liquid waste that’s been poured into our river goes down to Wawa Dam and Laguna Lake. Isn’t that harmful to the fish there?)” Cuerpo said. Authorities fear that the shutting down of the landfill, which accommodates 8,000 metric tons of garbage daily, could lead to a garbage crisis in Metro Manila. Rizal Governor Casimiro Ynares III, for one, said he is not amenable with Cuerpo’s action, saying it has no approval from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. He appealed to the mayor to reconsider his decision. “Tag-ulan na at ang ating mga basura, hindi lamang sa aming lalawigan kung hindi pati ang mga basura sa Metro Manila, hindi na po na-kokolekta. Kaya po siguro, tingnan muna natin kung ano ang magiging epekto nito sa ating mamamayan hindi lamang sa ating lalawigan (Let’s us look at the possible consequences of this action not only in our province but also in Metro Manila especially during the rainy season),” Ynares said. He also called on Cuerpo to respect the findings of an investigation by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that said that the Lukutan Munti River is free of leachate. “’Yung investigation report ng dalawang team na pinadala namin … lumabas ‘yung information na walang silang nakikitang illegal dumping of leachate into Montalban River (We sent two teams to the area and they found out that there was no illegal dumping of leachate into the river),” said Environment Secretary Lito Atienza. - GMANews.TV