• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) of Bacolod is set to tackle the position papers submitted by nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and barangay opposing Victorias City’s request to dump its residual waste at the sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa.
Vice Mayor Claudio Jesus “Kalaw” Puentevella, presiding officer of the SP, said July 7 that at least three groups, including the Negrosanon Initiative for Climate and the Environment (NICE) and the Anti-Baha Alliance, have sent letters expressing strong opposition to the proposal.
The letters are expected to be included in the SP’s regular session this morning, July 8.
Puentevella already forwarded the correspondences to Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairperson of the SP Committee on Laws, Ordinances, and Good Governance, that is currently reviewing the proposed memorandum of agreement on the waste disposal request.
The Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) previously approved the request, and Espino also expressed initial support, stating that the technical aspects of the plan are being handled by the board.
Amid snowballing concerns from residents and environmental groups, Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson clarified that the actual volume of residual waste is minimal.
He said that Victorias intends to haul and dispose of six to 10 tons of waste, equivalent to one truckload, per month.
“That is a very insignificant amount if you look into it and it is only temporary until such time that their own (landfill) area is complete,” he said.
Sayson acknowledged that the public’s anxiety is due to a lack of complete information, leading many residents to mistakenly believe that Victorias would be dumping all of its garbage into Bacolod’s landfill. | TMD
