INAYAWAN LANDFILL: P10 million appropriated for preventive measures

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government, through the City Disaster Coordinating Council, will appropriate at least P10 million to fund for the preemptive measures to be undertaken at the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill.

The City Council, during its regular session yesterday, approved Resolution No. 10-276-B recommending for the release of the initial amount of P10 million, which will be taken from the calamity funds of the city.

The resolution, was proposed by councilors Gerardo Carillo and Augustus Pe Jr., stated that the amount would be spent for the “food assistance to volunteers and rental of heavy equipment necessary to mitigate the adverse effects of the continuous emission of methane gas and smoke which cause environmental and health hazards to the residents of its surrounding communities.”

The rental of heavy equipment for a maximum of 60 days will cost P9,775,700 while the pack of meals of 200 volunteers and buckets will cost P224,280.

Carillo and Pe justified that the Local Government Code allows the use of five percent of the local calamity funds.

Section 324 of the LGC states that the calamity fund may be “utilized for disaster preparedness activities and measures provided that the Sanggunian concerned shall declare and imminent danger of calamity.”

Prior to the approval of the amount, the council declared that the sanitary landfill is in “imminent danger” due to the continuous emission of methane gas and smoke.

Two incidents of fire occurred at the 11-hectare landfill, located in Barangay Inayawan, in April and November last year.

The smoke that the landfill emits has reportedly caused some residents living in its surroundings to acquire respiratory tract infections.

Last April, around 180 families were evacuated due to the thick smoke that started suffocating the residents. — Jessica Ann R. Pareja/LPM   (FREEMAN NEWS)