SC asked to shut down Payatas dump

MANILA, Philippines - Residents of Payatas in Quezon City yesterday trooped to the Supreme Court (SC) to seek closure of the sanitary landfill in their community.

Led by Nita Panoy of the Alyansa ng mga Samahang Nagkakaisa sa Payatas, they filed a petition for a writ of kalikasan seeking to compel the Quezon City government to shut down the dump.

The petitioners said the landfill operation violates Republic Act 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act) and other environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act. 

They said the landfill has been causing them illnesses and depriving them of their right to a healthy environment.

“It is threatening the safety of water supply in Metro Manila because it’s near La Mesa Dam,” Panoy told reporters.

The petitioners, represented by lawyer Howard Calleja, said some of their houses were demolished following the extension of the landfill.

They questioned the issuance of a new environmental compliance certificate by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the landfill.

Named respondents in the petition were Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista and officials of the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau.