Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Lito Atienza yesterday declared that a three-strike policy would be enforced to compel local government units (LGUs) to close all open dumps nationwide.
Atienza said the DENR had sent “notices of closure” to concerned LGUs, instructing them to discontinue operation and close down the illegal open dumps, especially those found near rivers or other waterways.
“We are determined to pursue the intentions of the law simply because it has been long overdue... the deadline set under the law has been totally ignored,” Atienza told reporters during a press conference at the agency’s main office in Quezon City.
“There should be an urgent display of determination on the part of the government to really implement the law,” he also said.
Section 1, Rule 13, of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (R.A. 9003) provides that within three years from the effectivity of the law, all open dumpsites shall be converted to controlled dumps. The same law, however, also provides that controlled dumps must be operated only within five years from the enactment of the law.
Thus, if the law would be strictly followed, all open dumps should have been closed or converted to controlled dumps on February 16, 2004; and all controlled dumps should be closed by Feb. 16, 2006.
Last May 5, Atienza gave LGUs a six-month ultimatum to close all open dumps or the local officials will face appropriate charges for violating the ecological solid waste management law.
Atienza lamented that the LGUs have been given sufficient time to comply with R.A. 9003, but still failed to do so and some 826 open dumps still operate nationwide.
Atienza said the three-strike policy would be followed with his issuance of the six-month ultimatum to LGUs. He noted that regional officials of the agency will start checking the LGUs’ compliance to R.A. 9003 two months from now.
Monitoring of compliance would then ensue every two months until the six-month deadline expires.