QC homeowners: No to Marikina dump

Residents of Quezon City villages affected by the stench emanating from a garbage dump in Barangay Concepcion Uno, Marikina City are up in arms.

Members of the Alliance of Quezon City Homeowners Association Inc. (AQCHAI) are set to take their gripes to authorities once they finalize their position on the existence of the Doña Petra dump near the border of Marikina and Quezon City.

AQCHAI members affected by the stench include Ayala Heights, Alpha Village, Pentagon Village, Capitol Hills Golf and Capitol Homes villages.

AQCHAI secretary and Alpha Village Administrator Consuelo Sison said the alliance will take up the issue in their next meeting. She added that the stench affects the quality of life of residents in these villages.

Homeowners in the posh Ayala Heights have been complaining of the "horrible smell" which filled the air just a few months ago.

"Hindi ko nga akalain na may dump diyan... only this year, until we started to smell the stench kasi ang lakas talaga ng amoy," lawyer Jose Sison told The STAR.

Sison, a resident of the village and director of the Ayala Heights Village Association (AHVA), said the stench is particularly intense at the low-lying portion of their community.

He pointed out that since the Doña Petra dump is adjacent to the Marikina River, the waste will pollute the river as well as the air.

Sison said the river usually overflows during heavy downpours and that the floodwaters may find its way into the Quezon City water system.

The stench also ruins the "ambiance" of the villages near the site, he said.

"Malinis nga ang paligid nila (Marikina) pero napeperwisyo naman ang mga nearby cities," Sison said.

While the local government of Marikina dumps its waste in its Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), some 60 percent of the garbage labeled "unrecyclables" are dumped at the back portion of the site.

Based on the latest inspection of the DENR’s National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC), the dump has already reached 10 meters high.

The NSWMC also said operation of the dump in the area was illegal, as it violates the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 that prohibits open sites for garbage.

But Marikina City Mayor Ma. Lourdes Fernando insisted that the operation of the dump is legal and part of the local government’s program to achieve an "organized and healthy city."

She added that the operation of the dump in her jurisdiction is a "controlled site."

NSWMC executive director Albert Magalang has advised the mayor to stop operations and to conduct an immediate rehabilitation of the Doña Petra dump.

A letter by Magalang to the Marikina mayor dated Oct. 21 said the contested area "is not suitable for garbage disposal." Magalang also noted that a site in the area poses health hazards and can pollute nearby bodies of water.