Thursday, March 19, 2009 [ manilatimes.net ]
RODRIGUEZ, Rizal: Mayor Pedro Cuerpo is reportedly violating Republic Act 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, in reportedly continuing the operation of an open trash dump despite DENR order to close the dump.
Recent photos revealed that the municipal government continues to dump garbage in an open pit dump in Barangay Macabud, despite a closure order issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on January 16 this year.
In issuing a cease and desist order to Mayor Pedro Cuerpo, DENR regional executive director Nilo Tamoria expected an immediate halt in the operation of the facility in Barangays Macabud and San Jose.
Likewise, Tamoria ordered Cuerpo to “implement mitigating measures to prevent an environmental catastrophe.” The Environmental department issued the closure order following complaints from Rodriguez residents led by the Lucas Farmers Association Inc. The Rodriguez residents complained that Cuerpo’s open dum project would affect their drinking water, particularly during the rainy season.
Moreover, Tamoria reminded Cuerpo that the operation of open dumps has been outlawed since the enactment of the Solid Waste Management Act. Section 37 of the R.A. 9003 provides that “no open dumps shall be established and operated nor any practice or disposal by any person, including local government units, which constitutes the use of open dumps for waste, shall be allowed.”
“We find the closure order from the DENR not enough to compel the Montalban local government to cease from operating an illegal facility. Stubborn as he is, Mayor Cuerpo appears to be too tough for the DENR to handle,” the farmers said in a statement.--Francis Earl A. Cueto
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