Rodriguez folk block roads to landfills

Residents of Rodriguez, Rizal barricaded the roads leading to two landfills last Thursday as the municipal and provincial governments continued to bicker over control of the controversial facilities.

The residents’ barricades prevented garbage trucks from entering the 14-hectare and 19-hectare landfills in Barangay San Jose.

This, as the Sangguniang Bayan of Rodriguez passed a resolution on Tuesday for the town to stop hosting the twin landfills following the 60-day suspension of Mayor Pedro Cuerpo by the Rizal provincial government.

The provincial government suspended Cuerpo for ignoring a resolution calling for a stop to the municipal government’s collection of fees from garbage haulers.

Earlier, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez had sided with the provincial government on the issue, but Cuerpo appealed the ruling of the Department of Justice.

Adding to Cuerpo’s woes, the provincial government installed his vice mayor, Jonas Cruz, as acting mayor.

Residents vowed to continue barricading the roads leading to the two landfills until the municipal and provincial governments agree on which should manage the waste facilities.