Knockout semis

As the midterm election is over, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources now warns local officials to put a halt to their excuses and prioritize environmental laws.

Environmental Management Bureau lawyer Noel Empleo, in an interview during the Association of Government Information Officers Forum, said that the Solid Waste Management Law or Republic Act 9003 was supposed to be fully implemented already last year.

The said law, in particular, orders local government units to stop the practice of open dumpsites, convert them into controlled dumpsites, and establish a sanitary landfill.

 However, with considerable amount involved in the establishment of a sanitary landfill, Empleo said their office and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines have not been too strict in the pace that the local government units are enforcing RA 9003.

Much more, Empleo said, policies and programs of some LGUs are bound disrupted with the transition in leadership after the recent midterm polls.

"Now that the election is over, I am challenging leaders to display political will in enforcing the Solid Waste Management Law. Such means prioritizing this very important issue on the environment," Empleo said.

He added that his office is already gearing up for extensive documentation as to the status of the implementation of RA 9003 in the municipalities and cities.

For the city category, Empleo said only the city of Bais had been awarded and declared compliant to RA 9003. And that only about 50 percent of cities and municipalities had converted their open dumpsites to controlled dumpsites.

Most of the cities and towns had also opted for closure and rehabilitation of controlled dumpsites, Empleo added.

Meanwhile, the Environment Month will kick off on June 1 with tree planting activities, a sportsfest, and a film showing. - Ferliza C. Contratista/MEEV