Folk reject trash dump site for Baguio, Benguet

By Dexter A. See

ITOGON, Benguet — Residents of two villages here which will be affected by the construction of a huge engineered sanitary landfill for the province reiterated their strong opposition to the establishment of the facility in the open pit mine site of the Benguet Corporation, saying it will pose a serious threat to the state of the environment and the health of the people living in the surrounding communities.

The provincial government, in coordination with a Korean-based company, is conducting a feasibility study for construction of a multi-million engineered sanitary landfill in Antamok, Itogon, Benguet, particularly at the open pit mine site of the defunct mining company.

Residents of Luneta and Luacan, who will be affected by the establishment of the facility, claimed they will not take back their earlier opposition they submitted to the municipal government which they formalized against the plan of the Baguio City government to put up their sanitary landfill in the controversial open pit mine site.

They said the mining company must instead backfill the ravaged mountain and bring it back to its original state as earlier committed to the host communities rather than converting the same to a dump facility which is not favorable to the state of the environment and the health of the people.

Provincial officials were able to source out around $8 million from a Korean company to fund the conduct of a feasibility study to determine the limits of the construction of an engineered sanitary landfill which will be used by the province, including Baguio City.

Some local officials said the engineered sanitary landfill to be constructed in Antamok will be utilized by various towns in the province in order for them to comply with the provisions of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act to avoid being administratively and criminally charged by the National Solid Waste Commission.

La Trinidad, the capital of Benguet, is the only local government in the province that has complied with provisions of the solid waste management law when it was able to construct its controlled dump facility in Barangay Alno.

The law mandates all local government units to close the operation of their open dumpsites and convert the same into controlled dump facilities or establish their own sanitary landfill for the protection of the health of their constituents and the state of the environment in their areas of jurisdiction.

In Sablan town, also in the province, the municipal government said it is not against hosting the multi-million-peso engineered sanitary landfill of Baguio City, provided that its establishment will pass through the required procedures and it is done above board.

One of the major requirements for the setting up of the sanitary landfill in Alimang, Palali, Poblacion in Sablan is for the city government to secure the social acceptance of the affected communities where the project will be located.

What is important is for the city government to be transparent about the project, according to local officials, whereby they must be able to present the whole plan for the affected people to understand.

More importantly, the local government pointed out the plan must be able to disabuse the mind of people that an engineered sanitary landfill is like the controversial 5.2-hectare Irisan open dumpsite.

Earlier, several communities in this fifth-class town expressed concern that the construction of an engineered sanitary landfill in their area will produce leacheate that may pollute their sources of potable water supply that could cause serious illnesses.

According to concerned local officials, the environmental issue of the sanitary landfill project is one aspect which must be explained thoroughly by the project proponents since not everyone has seen a sanitary landfill.

While several landowners in the town expressed willingness to lease some of their properties for the city’s landfill project, municipal officials claimed they have yet to be officially informed about the matter and the city government must also submit their proposals for the environmentally critical project.

The local officials claimed they are supportive of the project provided that it will be in accordance with existing guidelines imposed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources so that all sectors which have concerns and fears on the project will be properly addressed.

Mayor Bonifacio Tacio said that while he supports projects that will help produce additional revenue for the municipal government, Baguio officials must learn to sit down with them in order to address pressing concerns relative to the project rather than send emissaries who could not even decide on important issues being raised against the landfill project.

Despite the offer made by some land owners for their properties to be used as a site for the city’s sanitary landfill, no city official has approached the municipal government to show their desire in pursuing the construction of the landfill in a place within the area of jurisdiction of the municipality.

The Baguio City government, after spending more than P200 million to address the worsening garbage problem in the city in less than a year, still needs at least P36.2 million for the solid waste disposal activities up to the end of this year.

The requested amount will reportedly cover hauling and tipping fees for the city’s tons of waste to the Metro Clark sanitary landfill in Capas, Tarlac up to the end of this year.

The projected huge expenses cover hauling services both by city government utilizing city-owned resources pegged at P15.3 million and by private companies amounting to P7.6 million.

Concerned city department heads said the local government needs to hire private haulers as available government equipment cannot accommodate all the daily waste output.

However, some sectors in the city are questioning the excessive expenditures of the city relative to the solid waste problem, claiming that the earlier funds allocated for the purpose were already exhausted but some private haulers who actively participated in helping clean the tons of garbage that piled up along major roads were not even paid for their services.

Lately, a group of Filipino-Americans from the city is proposing a cheaper and environment-friendly way of disposing garbage rather than hauling the same to the sanitary landfill in Capas, Tarlac or putting up the city’s own engineered sanitary landfill.

EniroCycle Limited, a United States-based company, is pushing for the conversion of carbon dioxide emissions into renewable energy.—Dexter A. See