SAN SIMON -- The Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (Menro) here yesterday asked the town’s village chiefs to cooperate in cleaning the environment and monitoring rehabilitated dumpsites.
"We already rehabilitated the open dumpsites, it is already clean, we have already done our part. I asked the village chiefs to do their part in monitoring residents who violate Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000," said Menro officer Mel Tayag.
Tayag said that a resident from San Luis town allegedly dumped garbage in Barangay San Pablo Propio on Friday. He said he advised the village chief not to let his barangay become a disposal area or another dumpsite.
"I advised Barangay Captain Benjamin De Guzman not to let his barangay become a dumpsite because they [illegal garbage disposers] plan to burn the garbage from San Luis town in San Simon town," said Tayag.
He said that the rehabilitation on the open dumpsites at Barangay San Isidro, Barangay Dela Paz, Barangay Concepcion and Barangay San Miguel took almost a month.
The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) recently filed charges before the Office of the Ombudsman against the town of San Simon for violating the RA 9003.
However, authorities said that they already have complied with the law, adding that they have coordinated with the EMB and will present the documents to the Office of the Ombudsman regarding their compliance.
Tayag said that they are monitoring each rehabilitated dumpsite once a week and the trucks collecting garbage from the 14 barangays here every day.
On the other hand, Tayag said that they are planning to put “catchy phrases” in the signages that they will place in the rehabilitated dumpsites to get the attention of the residents regarding proper solid waste management.