Parañaque closes illegal dump

MANILA, Philippines - Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez ordered yesterday the closure of an illegal garbage dump along C-5 Road, near the runway of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, for operating without any permit from the city government.

The mayor said the dump is located at a private lot and authorities will ask the property owner to explain why garbage trucks are being allowed to dump trash in the area despite earlier warnings.

“Our monitoring showed that unmarked trucks have been dumping trash in the area at night apparently to avoid detection by authorities,” Olivarez said. “I have ordered the local police and the Solid Waste and Environmental Sanitation Office to strictly enforce the closure order against the dump.”

The dump, which is adjacent to a socialized housing project of the city government, reportedly started operating before Olivarez assumed office last year but stopped after the new administration refused to grant it a business permit due to health hazards to nearby communities.

The mayor said that he has ordered the posting of a huge billboard at the site to warn violators against further dumping in the area or face prosecution.