THE continuous use of City of Baguio’s Irisan Dumpsite has prompted the municipality of Tuba in Benguet to invoke the Writ of Kalikasan and the strict implementation of the permanent environment protection order (Pepo) and the writ of continuing mandamus.

Members of Tuba municipal council manifested through a resolution stating there is a continuous dumping of waste by the city while leachate from the environmental recycling system (ERS) was visibly seen flowing directly to the drainage canal.

During the joint ocular inspection conducted on April 11, officials observed “bulldozing and embankment of the residual towards the no dumping area, there is no silting pond, the canal seems freshly cleaned but the small portion of the leachate still smells, the piggeries were being blamed but the familiar odor of pig waste is significantly different from the smell of leachate and there seem to be a blatant violation of the provisions of the Writ of Kalikasan.”

The resolution approved by Tuba Mayor Ignacio Riverawas addressed to Congressman Ronald Cosalan, the Provincial Board of Benguet and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Cordillera.

Tuba Municipal Environment and Natural Resources officer Engineer Samson Paquit said waste was dumped on site on April 11 for both biodegradable and non-biodegradable.

“Per information from barangay official, 285 households are affected residing in Sinco, Alta Verde and Greenwoods all of Tadiangan Tuba, Benguet,” added Paquit.

The resolution manifested the City of Baguio, through the employees present in the ocular inspection claimed the court allowed the local government of Baguio to operate despite the Writ of Kalikasan.

On August 1, 2012 the Sixth Division of the Court of Appeals have granted the Writ of Kalikasan and Writ of Continuing Madamus against the city government to cease and desist from utilizing the 5.2-hectare dumpsite after Typhoon Mina flooded the dumpsite resulting for a retaining wall to collapse and trash flowed down on the community below in 2011.

Residents of Sinco, Tadiangan in Tuba on December 30, 2016 through Roberto Pahitong, president of the SincoBadang Association wrote the Barangay Captain Steward Batuna of Tadiangan reporting the foul smell and leachate which continuously flows from the former Irisan Dumpsite to the canal at Km. 6 Asin Road affecting resident’s health.

On January 3, 2017, Barangay Tadiangan also brought the matter to the attention of Baguio City Councilor Elaine Sembrano, the City General Services Office (CGSO) and EMB-CAR director Reynaldo Digamo.

A joint inspection was reported to the CGSO due to the indiscriminate dumping of solid waste by some junkshop owners and residents directly to the open drainage canal.