Justice and environment

The decision of the Supreme Court to give top priority to the speedy resolution of cases against violations of laws pertaining to the protection of our natural resources is indeed a welcome development in our efforts to obtain environmental justice.

The high court’s action gives hope to countless communities of peasants, fisherfolk, indigenous groups, and the poorest of the poor who for years have been exposed and forced to suffer the worst impacts of pollution and toxic contamination as they become illegal dumping grounds for the metropolis’ effluents, hazardous wastes and dirty technologies.

As early as December 2005, the high court ruled for the permanent closure of the San Mateo Sanitary Landfill and that dumpsites, sanitary landfills and other waste disposal facilities should not be built in watershed areas, aquifers or water reservoirs. To this date however, government agencies, such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and many local government units, have proven  inefficient in upholding the laws meant to safeguard the people’s health and environment. Today, more than 1,000 illegal dumpsites continuously exist and operate, most of which are located in environmentally-critical areas.

Poor enforcement, inefficiency and corruption plus the painfully slow adjudication of environmental offenses all contribute to lack or absence of faith in the justice system. In the course, public health and environment are being sacrificed.

We therefore applaud Chief Justice Reynato Puno’s action to address this long drawn-out problem. We look forward to the rest of the Judicial Branch of our government to move more swiftly and judiciously on the cases filed by countless pollution-stricken communities and mete justice long overdue.

We also encourage other communities that suffer exposure to hazardous waste disposal systems such as dumpsites and landfills to file appropriate cases and fight for their constitutional right to a healthy environment. — REI PANALIGAN, Ecological Waste Coalition of the Philippines, Quezon City