La Union town won’t accept Baguio trash

ARINGAY, La Union – Succumbing to opposition, municipal officials in this fifth-class town were forced to withdraw their plan to host an engineered sanitary landfill of Baguio City.

This developed even as the Region 1 office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has given the “green light” for the construction of the dump facility here.

Mayor Teresita Ong told members of the municipal council that she is withdrawing her endorsement of the plan of the municipal government to serve as host of Baguio’s engineered sanitary landfill, noting the avalanche of criticisms the local government had been subjected to by various sectors.

The withdrawal of the endorsement of the sanitary landfill project was seen as a political move on the part of incumbent officials.

They succumbed to the criticisms leveled against them as the critics cited the perceived negative effects of the landfill to the health of their constituents living in communities surrounding the facility.

Under the plan, Aringay is supposed to receive an annual payment of P34 million from Baguio City once the landfill project is pushed through.

It will also be allowed free use of the facility as its dumpsite in compliance with Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

Representatives of certain sectors, who requested anonymity, said Aringay had lost a good opportunity to comply with the law requiring the establishment of its sanitary landfill without any cost to the municipal government, adding the P34-million annual payment by the Baguio City government would also improve the economic condition of the town. – Dexter A. See