Baguio rep clarifies issues on ‘trashslide

MANILA – Baguio Rep. Bernard Vergara delivered a privilege speech last Wednesday, Sept. 28 pleading for understanding and support relative to the ‘trashslide’ that has occurred in Baguio on August 27, exactly a month ago, that unfortunately claimed five lives.

He lent support to Mayor Mauricio Domogan and other city officials by defending them against his claimed unjust accusations that maligned the officials, including the past administration.

Vergara clarified that the Irisan dumpsite was closed in 2008 when the past administration shut it down and preferred to incur huge expenses of hauling the 120 tons wastes of Baguio to Capas, Tarlac.

“Setting the record straight, let me state in crystal clear terms that the Irisan dumpsite had long been a closed facility since 2008 when the past city administration shut it down and employed the extravagant process of hauling Baguio’s 120 tons of
daily waste to Capas, Tarlac”, he said in his speech.

He also disclosed that, since then, the city government up to the month of July this year had spent P200 million a year for the relentless hauling of the city’s garbage to the Capas Landfill facility. He claimed that the amount was too much.

Domogan and other city officials decided to purchase the Environmental Recycling System machines otherwise known as ERS machines that grind biodegradable wastes into organic fertilizers.

Accordingly, the supplier of the ERS machines will help the city in disposing the non-biodegradable wastes.

Answering claims of critics that the Irisan dumpsite is still being used by the city, he clarified that the dumpsite facility is being used as a transfer area for the segregation of the biodegradable and non-degradable wastes that come from households not yet segregated.

Advancing information as to what the facility will become in the future, Vergara said that the Irisan dumpsite facility will be a temporary transfer area as it will be transformed into a “National Park” as planned. The city is hopeful that the Environmental Sanitary Landfill proposed in Itogon, Benguet will be issued an Environmental Compliance Certificate and Social Acceptability by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

It was also learned that the Itogon ESL facility provides a permanent solution to the garbage problem and will turn Baguio to be compliant with RA 9003 otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

Clarifying that the collapsing of the retaining wall of the closed Irisan dumpsite is due to the wrath of nature, he absolves the city officials of any culpability.
“We have been maligned by our detractors and Mayor Domogan was not given a fair chance to explain the correct incident of the collapse of the Irisan dumpsite”, he told his colleagues Congress.