Monday, January 21, 2008 Sara warns firms against 'exploiting' poor By Ben O. Tesiorna
ACTING City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte warned four private companies Sunday against dumping their garbage in the already closed dumpsite along the highway in Matina Pangi.
The mayor, who did not name the companies, said they could be charged for violating the solid waste management law, adding that she hates seeing big companies exploiting the poor.
The reason for her outburst was the landslide of garbage last week that destroyed four houses in Matina Pangi.
"I don't like the way these private companies capitalize on the people's poverty," Duterte said.
In Sunday's "Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa", the acting mayor said she was informed that around four private companies were continuously dumping their garbage in the Matina Pangi dumpsite despite its closure.
The companies paid residents in the area to be allowed to dump their waste there.
As the residents are dirt poor, the promise of money makes the offer difficult to turn down.
Duterte said she will be assigning a City Hall employee in the area to monitor if these private companies still dump wastes in the old dumpsite.
Duterte likened the manner in which these companies disregarded the people's safety with the use of money to the company that constructed a billboard in the midst of densely populated SIR New Matina without getting permits from the City Government.
With the promise of an income for the owner of the home where the billboard was constructed, the company did not even think of the danger it posed to the neighborhood.
