Wednesday, September 19, 2007 Mayor may face citizen suit for failure of waste mng’t program By Gil Alfredo B. Severino
DEPARTMENT of Public Services (DPS) head Efren Canlas has accepted with openness the lowest assessment ratings result of the Local Government Performance Management Systems (LGPMS) with regards to the city’s solid waste management program.
Canlas even admitted that the present dumpsite, which is still an “open dumpsite,” is in violation of Republic Act 9003 otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which could put the Mayor at risk of citizen suit.
“What pulled our ratings down is the open dumpsite and the failure of the barangay-based waste segregation program,” Canlas admitted.
Canlas stressed, however, that while he was not ‘intimidated’ by the low ratings of the City Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) - LGPMS, adding, “There are things that DPS cannot tackle alone. The barangays apparently are not serious in their local segregation program.”
“The open dumpsite ideally should be for residues only. If the barangay segregation program is effective, the pressure on the open dumpsite is reduced by 20 percent for five years conservative estimate,” Canlas said.
He explained however that City Administrator Rogelio Balo had already options for alternative dumpsite which is a six-hectare lot in Barangay Cabug. Also, Canlas said in their last meeting with the Regional Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the regional director gave the City a leeway considering the cost of constructing a sanitary landfill which is P20 million per hectare excluding the cost of land.
“It is understandable that DILG will have its own assessment of the problem and I have received it with much openness,” Canlas added.
