Bulacan bishop slams proposed 100-hectare sanitary landfill

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines  – Bishop Jose Oliveros of the diocese of Malolos, Bulacan has issued a pastoral letter slamming the proposed 100-hectare sanitary landfill between Doña Remedios Trinidad town and San Jose del Monte City, saying the project would be life-threatening.

Oliveros warned of serious adverse effects of the project not only on the environment, but also on the health of some 800,000 residents of San Jose del Monte, the most populous locality in Bulacan.

In a three-page pastoral letter, Oliveros cited studies indicating that four drops of leachate from such a landfill would be enough to contaminate 20,000 gallons of water. Leachate refers to the by-product liquid of wastes that could penetrate through the ground.

Oliveros said it is the responsibility of the diocese to be the “firm protector of life” and to “refute the powers which threaten to end it.”

But Bruce Williams, operations manager of the company behind the proposed landfill, said he expected such protests, which he described as normal in landfill projects worldwide.

“No landfill anywhere in the world has not encountered criticisms, including from religious groups. They always do that,” said Williams.

For his part, San Jose del Monte Mayor Reynaldo San Pedro said though city officials are still deliberating the sanitary landfill proposal amid the mounting garbage that the city churns out.

“How could we achieve a better city if we could not even manage to dispose off our garbage properly?” San Pedro said.

Oliveros, meanwhile, called on residents to be vigilant as “dutiful caretakers of the creations of God.” He said the public could join the Church’s call for zero waste management through segregation and recycling.

Earlier, Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado signed the province’s new Environment Code, which sets guidelines on the construction of sanitary landfills as well as on mining and forestry.