• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The processing of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for the Bacolod Sanitary Landfill Cell No. 4 in Barangay Felisa remains ongoing, even as the facility already operates beyond its projected capacity, city officials said.
Mayor Greg Gasataya said that while city engineers and the Bacolod Environment and Natural Resources Office (BENRO) originally estimated that the landfill would reach capacity by December, its lifespan has been extended by five to six more months through operational measures implemented at the site.
“When we commenced on June 30 last year, Cell No. 4 already had two major concerns: number one, the land where it is located had no land use conversion, and number two, as a result of that, it did not have an ECC either. A few months into our office, Mayor Greg instructed us to focus on securing the conversion. We were able to secure that, but there were delays in securing the ECC because, as we speak, Cell No. 4 still does not have an ECC,” city administrator, Atty. Mark Steven Mayo, said.
Mayo also announced that the Environmental Management Bureau–Negros Island Region (EMB-NIR) will hold a public hearing on Aug. 20 at the Bacolod City Government Center lobby as a required step in the issuance of the ECC for Cell No. 4.
“We are ready to explain and we are preparing all the documentations so that the public will be enlightened on the information and facts behind the particular status of Cell No. 4,” he added.
Under regulatory guidelines, the processing of an ECC for the proposed Cell No. 5 cannot begin until the clearance for Cell No. 4 is secured, effectively halting the utilization of the new cell, or additional landfill section. | TMD
