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Thursday, January 27, 2005
Butuanon River ‘stinks’
By Aledel Gonzalez-Cuizon
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
THE Mandaue City Council committee on environmental protection will be looking into a complaint of residents of two subdivisions about the stench from the Butuanon River.
The complaint was taken up in last Tuesday’s regular session, but was immediately endorsed to City Councilor Procopio Villanueva’s committee.
In an interview yesterday, Vice Mayor Amadeo Seno Jr. said there is a special body involved in the preservation of the Butuanon River.
However, the City Council is not aware of its activities because the special body has no representative from the City Council.
“We have existing ordinances about the Butuanon River, but we are not the implementing agency. We only legislate,” Seno said.
Residents of Villa Terrace Subdivision and Greenhills Subdivision wrote to Mayor Thadeo Ouano to complain about the stench from Butuanon River.
“Mayor, if you care to stand on any bridge crossing Butuanon River, it is easy to see the failure of the City to protect and preserve this God-given gift.
While it is beyond doubt that the river is dead in all its aspects, the City’s approaches in bringing it back to life… have all failed,” the letter stated.
Total neglect
The residents further stated that if no steps are taken to “mitigate the existing conditions” of the river, they will be compelled to file a citizens’ suit against the Ouano administration and the officials of the barangays along the river for “total neglect and failure to implement existing provisions of the Solid Waste Management Act.”
In 2002, the Mandaue City Government created the Butuanon Riverbank Development Project to rehabilitate the waterway.
Its board was expected to tap local and international fund sources and consult stakeholders for the proper implementation of the project.
The board was given jurisdiction over a seven-kilometer portion of the river that falls under Mandaue City’s territory. (AAG)
(January 27, 2005 issue)
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