• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Bacolod City Legal Office head, Atty. Karol Joseph Chiu, said the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) issued by the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) on the city’s former dumpsite is “highly questionable”.
The ECC, granted in July 2025, covers a private property along Buri Road in Barangay Mandalagan that previously served as a dumpsite under a memorandum of agreement with the city.
“We invited them (EMB) to a technical conference (today, Aug. 12) because we found in the records that their issuance of ECC in the city’s old dumpsite is highly questionable. Why did they issue an ECC if it is already well known as a dumpsite,” Chiu said.
He recalled an incident in April last year where garbage dumped in Sum-ag and Punta Taytay, near a body of water, was traced to the Mandalagan area.
He noted the EMB was already aware of the property’s history from that incident, yet still issued the ECC.
Chiu questioned the DENR-EMB for allowing the excavation on a known dumpsite without proper evaluation, laboratory testing, or a designated waste disposal plan.
He said the unearthed materials cannot be put back into the ground, leaving the city government in a quandary on how to safely dispose of the waste.
He added the city engineers have been tasked to survey the site’s dimensions to determine how much area would be needed to accommodate the waste if a new sanitary landfill is established specifically for that purpose.
The Office of the Building Official previously issued a notice of violation and a stoppage order in April and May last year for digging and constructing without a building permit.
Despite the lack of permits, construction of a building in the area is now nearly complete following the EMB’s issuance of the ECC.
Bacolod administrator, Atty. Mark Steven Mayo, said in a city press release last night that the local government unit has yet to receive an explanation from the DENR-EMB in Negros Island Region on the ECC issuance.
He emphasized that immediate measures must be undertaken to protect public health and safety, and safeguard existing and future investments in the area.
“The priority is to protect public health and welfare, and the establishments nearby, considering its economic potential. If we don’t act on it, definitely, it will create more problems later on,” Mayo stressed.
He clarified that the city is not opposed to development projects, but stressed that proper waste handling, transfer, and disposal must be strictly observed to ensure public safety and compliance with Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
“Moving forward, we need to resolve this matter as we protect the businesses so that it won’t affect public health and safety, especially the residents of Barangay Mandalagan,” Mayo added. | TMD
