Radaza, 11 barangay chiefs sued at Ombudsman

CEBU, Philippines - Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza and 11 barangay captains are facing charges before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas because of their alleged failure to comply with the proper waste management.

Businessman Efrain Pelaez Jr. and lawyer Rodulfo Taneo Sr. have accused Radaza and the 11 barangay captains of violating the Republic Act 9003 otherwise known as The Ecological Solid Waste Management Law.

Aside from Radaza, the other respondents are Barangay Captains Nestor Paypa of Canjulao, Jose Dungog of Gun-ob, Mary Jane Cahilog of Ibo, Mateo Dungog of Looc, Evaristo Dihayco of Mactan, Joseph Pangatunga of Maribago, Luceria Amores of Marigondon, Jimmy Ybanez of Pajac, Junard Chan of Pajo, Lourdes Ibag of Punta Engaño and Caridad Dawat of Pusok.

 Radaza dismissed the complaint as politically motivated. The mayor said she will answer the charges in the proper forum.

“Tubagon gyud, of course.  Sige lang, mao man na iyahang master...(mga) basura,” Radaza said.

Pelaez filed the same complaint against Radaza three years ago but it was dismissed by the anti-graft office due to technicality. Pelaez ran against Radaza in 2013 but lost in the mayoralty race.

According to Pelaez, since his previous case was not decided on the merit, he gathered more evidence to support the re-filing of the case. He attached several pictures of uncollected garbage in Lapu-Lapu City to support his case.

According to him, he had been calling the city officials’ attention on the worsening garbage disposal problem in the city since 2007 but it has not been addressed until now.

“Decades later, and despite change in administration from Arturo Radaza to his wife, Paz Radaza, nothing has been done to address this gravely alarming situation,” the complaint read.

 Pelaez and Taneo claimed that the respondents failed to implement the RA 9003.

“After more than a decade from the effectivity of RA 9003, respondents still did not or failed to implement it. Respondent Radaza does not deny that the City of Lapu-Lapu still operates a controlled dumpsite, which is no longer allowed, and thus, a gross violation of RA 9003,” the complainants said.

“Equally condemnable is the fact that none of the respondent barangay captains and their councilmen has waste segregation, composting, recycling and waste reduction policies in their barangay,” they added.

According to them, the failure of the respondents to enforce RA 9003 is “gross negligence and dereliction of duty.”

 Meanwhile, Pelaez who has already made known his intention to run for mayor in 2016 yesterday lost around 30 barangay leaders to Radaza.  Pelaez’s former political leaders yesterday declared their support to Radaza. — (FREEMAN)