A CEBUANO taxpayer filed a complaint against regional environment officials on Friday for allowing unsafe Binaliw landfill operations that caused a deadly slide in January.
Crisologo Saavedra submitted his complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday, March 6, accusing Central Visayas environment officials of gross negligence.
Saavedra said Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 officials ignored safety rules at the landfill in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City.
The permit allowed a materials recovery facility and sanitary landfill, but Saavedra said the site operates as an open-pit dumpsite.
Ignored warnings
Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. has managed the landfill for three years, and Saavedra said regulators allowed their hazardous operations.
Residents of Binaliw had long warned the government about the site, expressing worry over the huge volume of garbage and the landfill's stability.
Despite these warnings, officials failed to suspend the landfill's operations, which eventually led to the deadly garbage slide on Jan. 8.
Saavedra based his complaint on the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, which punishes public officials who give unfair benefits to private companies.
He argued the officials favored the private operator, putting residents in danger before the January tragedy buried 36 workers under waste.
The complaint asks the Ombudsman to investigate the DENR 7 officials and the landfill operator, aiming to hold them accountable for the tragedy. / MVG