Nobody cares because nobody goes to jail

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO
March L. Fianza

BAGUIO CITY -- Just like a painful hangover after a night out, finger-pointing and backbiting are expected after an incident that results to death. That, despite statements from public officials in news articles to stop the nitpicking or fault-finding, after the Irisan dumpsite disaster that killed five residents.

Nobody seems to accept the blame. All the discussions about the tragedy were fruit stuff on top of the ice cream. The major incident which is the death of innocent people and the looming danger above the Asin Road community are being sidetracked.

First things first, no one has even come forward to apologize for what happened except for a few sympathy notes made through the press. Instead, those from City Hall were “acting like busy” as shown by their body language – all trying to say “I am not to blame” while protecting their public image at the same time.

They are trying to be concerned although their brains are afloat and occupied with their visit to Hawaii and Vallejo tomorrow. To be fair although unfortunately, the US trip has been scheduled earlier not knowing that a disaster would come.

They still waste time trying to talk about how to properly construct or repair the garbage retaining wall – something that every new set of officials talk about, although that could be left for discussion by technical men who know best what to do.

No one is asking where the victims’ families could be buried even as I was told that the burial ground of one of my grandma’s close relatives at Km.5 Asin Road was now under tons of trash. That is double jeopardy.

I also learned from residents below the dumpsite that a City Hall official visited the site and was met by them. They were expecting words of compassion from the official but none. Instead, they were told: “apay gamin nga agbalay kayo dita…!” (why did you build houses there).

Only those familiar to the beauty of the rock formations at Irisan know that there were camote garden patches below, above and around the spot that were tended by residents along Asin Road, when there was no dumpsite to talk about then.

It means, there were old time residents below even before the area was started to be utilized as garbage dumpsite. And the public official had no right to say “why did you build your houses below the dumpsite.” In other words, the community was older than the dumpsite.

More houses built by scavengers sprouted like mushrooms in that area when the dumpsite grew and grew.

As early as the late 70s, residents of Barangay Tadiangan, Tuba already felt the fear that the mountain of garbage would disintegrate and flow down to their community. But even without the trash avalanche, there were already signs of “neighborhood bullying” in the form of foul-smelling black leachate and cellophane bags that reached as far as Km 8, SitioPacac, Tadiangan.

Barangay Tadiangan, Tuba is located below the dumpsite at Irisan, Baguio.

Residents of Tadiangan, km 5 and km 6 already doubted that the retaining wall would not be able to hold the volume of garbage dumped at the site everyday.

With fear as their driving force, they began protesting in 1989 for the dumpsite’s closure and relocation, although garbage was seen spilling over the crest of the dumpsite due to continuous rains only in 2009.

On several instances, the protesters claimed the officials never listened to them. That to me is a politician’s attitude – “haan da met ngabotantesti Baguio” (They are not Baguio voters).

The fear was not superficial or something that was moved by politics, considering that those who began the protests were residents of Irisan in Baguio and Tadiangan in Tuba. On August 27, what they feared more than five years ago actually happened.

It’s not “too late the hero” for Mayor Florencio Bentrez, but news reports say he is ready to support protests over Baguio waste that has spilled over to Barangay Tadiangan and caused health problems to its residents.

Reports said water sources around the Tadiangan area have been contaminated since garbage spilled over.

The Kagaling River, which flows to barangays Nangalisan and San Pascual in Tuba could have been possibly contaminated too.

Residents said aside from damaging the water hose which supplies portable water to the Tadiangan area, more than 300 families and households do not have safe water supply. People living near the affected areas were now found to be suffering from cough and colds, bronchitis and acute gastroenteritis.
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The attitude of public officials in executing and violating laws is affected by the justice system. No one has been sent to jail for throwing trash into one’s neighboring community. That is so because nobody knows who should be filing the cases against the violators of RA 9003, also known as the “basura” law.

That is why the officials have the nerve to simply promise to close the Irisan dumpsite everytime an emergency arises but do not say when. That is why they can dilly dally on where to locate an ESL (engineered sanitary landfill) because nobody is running after them.

As a long-term solution to the basura problem, Baguio mayor Domogan said the city will still pursue an engineered sanitary landfill deal with Benguet province at a site situated between Kias and Philex mines which is within Itogon.

The good mayor has announced to the press that he has already signed an agreement with Benguet province on the ESL project which will be undertaken by a Korean proponent. He said the Itogon town council was set to deliberate on a resolution that would endorse the project.

I accidentally came across Itogon Mayor Oscar Camantiles last week and asked him if there was any truth to the Itogon ESL mentioned by Domogan. He denied that the Itogon municipal council would endorse the proposed ESL near Kias.

He said, he found out that the documents that were obtained for the proposed Antamok ESL were the same documents for Kias. He found out that the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) obtained for Antamok was never discussed by the municipal council and no Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that needs public consultation ever happened. The ECC were obtained without Itogon being consulted.

It looks like the Korean proponent is being misled to believing that everything is running smoothly. Mayor Camantiles further said, before entertaining any proposal for an ESL by other LGUs, Itogon is keen on making one for their own use. If ever an ESL would be built in Itogon, it would primarily be for Itogon, not for another LGU, he said.

Today Tuba, tomorrow Itogon. Aray! – marchfianza777@yahoo.com