36 dumpsites in Cebu face closure; raps poised vs LGUs

CEBU — Thirty-six open dumpsites in Cebu may soon be closed while the local governments hosting them may face civil and criminal charges for violating laws on ecological solid waste management.

This, after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), along with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), issued an ultimatum and a notice to sue local government units (LGUs) that have failed to comply with the solid waste management law despite the three-year period given them.

Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 which took effect on Feb. 16, 2001, mandates every LGU to convert its open dump into a controlled dump within a three-year period.

The deadline of compliance was last Feb. 16, and the DENR found that no LGU had complied with the law, prompting the agency to tie up with the IBP in enforcing sanctions against these dumpsites and the LGUs hosting them.

Lawyer Antonio Oposa said the IBP, to which he belongs, and the DENR are giving LGUs or the people managing these dumpsites until October to undertake remedial measures or else face charges.

"By October this year, they will be facing criminal and administrative charges if they will not comply with the (law)," he said.

A controlled dump is a disposal site where solid wastes are deposited following minimum prescribed standards of site operation.

Open dumpsites in Cebu are found in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Danao, Talisay, Lapu-Lapu and Toledo, and in 46 municipalities. — Freeman News Service