Two weeks ago, San Miguel Corp. CEO/president Ramon S. Ang declared that the fire and smoke from the Navotas landfill will be solved using numerous large trucks and soil compactors.
Yesterday, I read an article in The Philippine STAR stating that the Navotas sanitary landfill Fire has been declared extinguished or “fire out.”
While the DENR is actively building their case against the original operator of the landfill, PhilEco, the next question is what to do with it. Based on other “abandoned” landfills around the world, it takes anywhere from 12 to 20 years to restore such areas.
The common solutions seem to be planting specific type of trees and shrubs in the area, installation of solar powered irrigation for the plantings, security fencing to prevent people from continued scavenging or dumping and have a permanent crew to manage the activity and secure the area. This is what they did in Brazil and India.
The good news is that the area has only recently “changed hands” after San Miguel Corp. “expropriated” the land as an access corridor to the San Miguel Bulacan Airport. Good news because RSA and SMC strongly advocate projects that are environmentally friendly.
Aside from their voluntary river cleanup drives, SMC has a corporate-wide program for seriously reducing water consumption in their various business models and facilities.
While it does not qualify as a PPP project, the greening or restoration of the Navotas sanitary landfill would be an opportunity for SMC, Navotas City, the DENR, DILG and diplomatic entities interested in such projects.
It may be worthwhile to remember that there used to be an infamous “dumpsite” along Commonwealth Avenue formerly known as Don Mariano Marcos Avenue in Quezon City. Having lived in Diliman, that area was considered a blight but look at it now!
Where heaps of trash used to burn, stink and make people sick, now stand residential areas, commercial buildings, etc. I never saw how they did it, but that corridor of basura now holds one of the highest priced real estate.
The same could happen to the Navotas sanitary landfill. With the right team of good leaders, minimal expense, the place can transform into a park full of trees and no longer just be a former dump site.
* * *
Is it just me or has the world of Philippine politics turned upside down?
Two weeks ago, I read about how a “senior politician,” Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, accused a neophyte politician, Congressman Leandro Leviste, of spending millions of pesos to buy votes.
A week later, I learned about how the accuser has become the accused, namely the founder of PGMN Franco Mabanta who was arrested in an entrapment operation of the NBI that used P300-350 million in maletas as bait.
What exactly is going on? My initial reaction in the Recto versus Leviste incident was to say it’s a perfect example of “the pot calling the kettle black” or, as our Lord Jesus said, “He who is without sin cast the first stone.”
In a country where the common belief is that you need to spend millions to get votes just to become a barangay captain in an urbanized town or city, such accusations of vote buying is truly ironic if not hypocritical. ES Recto could have come up with better material to hurl at Leviste without getting mud on his shirt.
On the other hand, the alleged “caught in the act” bust of PGMN founder Franco Mabanta certainly has a lot of material that can be used to write a political thriller.
The reports tell us that Mabanta was arrested in an “entrapment operation” for allegedly trying to extort P300-350 million from former speaker Martin Romualdez.
In the US, “entrapment” is a counter accusation of people being arrested under suspicious or mysterious circumstances. It alleges that the arresting officer used deceit to implicate an innocent or unsuspecting person. If proven, the case is thrown out.
That we use the same term for an arrest has me wondering. Using the term “entrapment operation” is similar to the police term “riding in tandem.”
I don’t know who Franco Mabanta really is, but I get the impression that he does not have a lot of friends in the media community, or many people resent what he stands for at PGMN.
The ink had not yet dried on the paper, but several media practitioners immediately disowned him, denied him the title of journalist and assumed him “guilty until proven innocent.”
There is no arguing that what took place was “entrapment.” Yes, Mabanta may be guilty, but on the other hand, what about the possibility that he could have been made to look guilty? Did the hunter become the prey?
I am reminded of the DPWH official from Batangas who was charged by Batangas Congressman Leandro Leviste for bribery. In his defense, the DPWH official later claimed that he brought the money because he was told to do so.
I take no side in these cases, but in this day and age of social media, shoot first-explain later scenarios, one cannot be too careful to jump to conclusions. We have all made one wrong conclusion at least once in our lifetime, if not more.
The best lesson is found in Exodus 20:16 “Thou shall not bear false witness” or jump to the wrong conclusion.