• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Officials of the Bacolod city government and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Negros Island Region met Aug. 12 to establish protocols in the clearing of accumulated waste at the old open dumpsite in Barangay Mandalagan.
City administrator, Atty. Mark Steven Mayo, said the discussions focused on resolving logistics across the three private properties occupying the area.
Currently, only one landowner, Puer Sanctus Property Management Inc., was issued an environmental compliance certificate (ECC).
Mayo said the EMB endorsed the transferring of waste from the old dumpsite to the city’s sanitary landfill cell no. 5 in April 2026.
Mayo said they are also establishing transport protocols to ensure safety during transit, while additional technical conferences will be scheduled with the remaining two property owners, including a church.
The finalized proposal will be presented to the city’s Solid Waste Management Board for approval.
The review of the Mandalagan dumpsite followed an unauthorized dumping at the former airport site in Barangay Singcang in April, where the City Legal Office issued a stoppage order and directed the return of the transported waste to the Mandalagan site.
CLO head, Atty. Karol Joseph Chiu, earlier questioned the issuance of the ECC to the property.
“Based on their (EMB) explanation, the ECC did not mention the disposal plan, meaning it only involves minor excavation. The EMB said at the time of application of the ECC, there’s no excavation of buried waste,” Mayo said. | TMD
