CENRO fines 7 'illegal' garbage haulers

CEBU, Philippines - Mandaue City Environment and Natural Resources Officer (CENRO) Placido Jerusalem has warned private garbage haulers to secure permits from their office or face apprehension and penalties.

The warning came after seven private garbage haulers were apprehended last week for their alleged failure to secure necessary permits from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources or CENRO.

CENRO fined each truck P6,000.

"Violation na, di ka pwede mag-haul og garbage without environmental compliance certificate. Once imo na' ng buhaton, nag-operate ka'g solid waste management facility. And if you are operating such, you need to secure ECC. Pagsita namo, wa man," said Jerusalem in a press conference at the Mandaue City's Session Hall yesterday.

He said some of the seven haulers were from private companies in Cebu City and Mandaue City, which had disposed of their wastes in Benedicto lot in Tambis Heights, Barangay Umapad.

He said the property is owned by Avenue Canning, but has been used by around 10 informal settlers there as a "dumpsite" of garbage from all over the city and outside.

He added that the companies that dump their waste there pay P600 to P1,000 to the operators of this dumpsite, and the residents there then collect the recyclables from the mounds of garbage.

As of yesterday, Jerusalem has not located the owner of the property. He said he would like to meet the owner to ask why he allowed the area to become a dumpsite.

Jerusalem said aside from the foul smell emanating from the mountain of waste, neighbors have also complained of the fumes coming out from burnt wires.

This as the operators there burn the electrical wire to get rid of the plastic covering so they can sell the bronze or the metal inside the wires.

"That activity, usa sa factor sa sunog sa basura, mag-fog man. One reason nga mao'y gipahingusgan nato. Mag daub man kayang mga puthaw naa'y plastic nitapot," he said.

He said the dumpsite has been there since "time immemorial" but the city government is working hard to stop it.

For his part, city planning and development coordinator Florentino Nimor said the city is planning to turn the area into an industrial park, but only after properly closing the dumpsite.

"Bukid (of waste) na sauna, the city was able to flatten it out. We will have to exhaust the methane. Before there was a plan to make it a park with a mini golf course," Nimor said, adding that the new plan is to make it a part of the Green City project.

As to the displaced scrap collectors, he said the city will tap Japanese companies, for example, to have them trained on machine operation or any task that they are capable of doing. — Liv G. Campo (FREEMAN)