Environmental Management Bureau to re-evaluate environment compliance certificate of new San Mateo landfill

MANILA, Philippines - The Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will re-evaluate the environment compliance certificate issued for the new landfill in San Mateo, Rizal after residents and environmentalists opposed to the project, yesterday submitted to the agency their “proof of actual location” of the controversial facility.

In a dialogue set at the DENR, EMB director Julian Amador said he will not hesitate to recommend to DENR Secretary Lito Atienza to revoke the ECC of San Mateo Sanitary Landfill Development Corp. if their re-evaluation finds that the project was indeed constructed on the wrong site, which environmentalists deem to endanger the health and environment of the people.

“I will recommend to the (DENR) Secretary if indeed there was a misrepresentation on this project.”

“I have instructed lawyer Jonas Leones, the assistant director of EMB, to investigate and verify these documents submitted to us,” Amador said.

“This is going to be a transparent process that is why I am asking everyone, all the stakeholders to be involved in this endeavor.”

“Of course, however, we will also give a chance to the project developers to explain their side to be fair,” he also said.”

Clemente Bautista, of the Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment; Tony Balute, of the Coalition for Garbage Free San Mateo; safety and environment engineer Darrow Lucenario; Dr. Stephen Domingo; and Antonio Montemayor, of the Waldorf School submitted the folder of “proof of actual location” to Amador.

The folder contained documents, including a zoning map, showing the supposed actual location where the new landfill was built, which is at Barangays Maly and Guinayang, as opposed to the location stated in the facility’s ECC, which was Barangay Pintong Bukawe.

The documents also include certifications from the Land Registration Authority (LRA), Municipality of San Mateo’s Office of the Deputy Provincial and Municipal Assessor, DENR Region 4-A (Calabarzon), and Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Region 4-A, all indicating that the location of the new landfill is at Barangays Maly and Guinayang.

Amador admitted that these documents submitted to them were not presented before the ECC, was issued on Nov. 24, 2008. The ECC was signed by Atienza.

Meanwhile, Leones said they will look into the “borderline issues” related to the controversy in order to avoid any legal reprimand prior the conduct of its re-evaluation since a case is now being heard at the regional trial court of San Mateo on the same matter.

The case filed by Filinvest Land Inc., which sought a temporary restraining order against the project, is currently being heard at San Mateo RTC Branch 75 before the chamber of Judge Manuel Taro.

The respondents in the case include the EMB officials. 

Filinvest owns at least 680 hectares of land in the periphery of the landfill project, including two developed subdivisions.

Zoning map

In a hearing at the San Mateo Regional Trial Court Branch 75 on March 18, Engr. Darrow Lucenario said the ECC issued by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza on Nov. 24 last year for the project showed that the 19-hectare landfill is located in Barangay Pintong Bukawe.

However, Lucenario pointed out that a zoning map of San Mateo town indicates that the landfill is actually located at the boundary of Barangays Maly and Guinayang.

The landfill, which has a capacity to accommodate more than 2,000 metric tons of garbage daily, reportedly started operating early this year until the Filinvest Land Inc. sought a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the project before the San Mateo RTC.

Filinvest argued that the landfill’s continued operations would “hurt” their business.

Lawyer Andy Santiago, the landfill’s president and legal counsel, said they have put in place enough safety measures to safeguard the health of local residents and the environment.

He said the crater at the center of the landfill project is more than five hectares in size and has layers of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) membrane, which is impermeable.

“This ensures safety for the residents of San Mateo and that there will be no secretions from the solid wastes that may endanger their health,” he said.

Santiago also emphasized that all of the barangays in San Mateo have given their full support to the landfill operation.