Bontoc, environment group seal pact

BONTOC, Mt. Province – The local government unit had just entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Kalinga Anti–Pollution Action Group (Kapag) to resolve the Writ of Kalikasan case filed against the town.

Provincial Information Officer Angel Baybay said the town and Kapag signed the MOA during the first week of March with two conditions: (1) the dumpsite along the Chico River should be relocated and (2) there should be visible good waste practices of the people.

He added the two conditions should be met within six months or else the complainants will pursue the case in court.

The officer said though Bontoc accepted the two conditions, he believed relocating the dumpsite will not solve the problem on garbage management because it is just transferring the waste to another site.

Baybay said there is a proposed site for the creation of a planned engineered sanitary landfill in Mt. Faliling which will be the relocation area of the dumpsite.

However, it is still under the process of completing the necessary documentation and the site is being opposed by some residents.

The proposed site, the officer said is three kilometers away from the village. He added the fund for the project is already ready for disbursement.

In August 2012, the Kapag filed a Writ of Kalikasan with the Supreme Court because of the alleged violation laws of the town.

Following the case, some town officials of Bontoc appeared before media sometime in November 2012 denying the accusations of Kalinga.

Mayor Pascual Sacgaca asked why Kalinga singled out his town on the case, when the source of water comes from Mt. Data down to Sabangan–Sagada then to Bontoc.

He added another river comes from Sagada, then merges with the Chico River.

They say that Chico River is polluted but there is no scientific evidence to support it. There are still several fishes and our residents usually take a bath in the river. We never heard of news that someone was killed because of the ‘pollution’. This means that the water is still clean,” he said.

Engr. Andres Ngao–i, one of the members of the anti–pollution group in Kalinga, said people should not wait for the worst pollution to happen, but should act on it now before it’s too late.