CCENRO, CHD urged: Act on Binaliw complaints

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera is calling the Cebu City Environmental and Natural Resources Office and the City Health Department to act on the complaints of residents of Barangay Binaliw over the operation of the 15-hectare Material Recovery Facility and engineered sanitary landfill.

Garganera said the two city’s offices should do their responsibilities before the issue will be elevated to the regional offices.

“Ang akong gusto before kaning mga offices mo-act, like EMB-7 and DOH, ang akoang pangutana, unsa ma’y gibuhat sa atoang CCENRO, unsa ma’y gibuhat sa atoang City Health Department?” Garganera said.

He said the CCENRO and CHD should come up with their own findings based on their scope of work so that the problem will be resolved easily.

Among the complaints the residents had raised include the intolerable odor and reported increase of respiratory illness.

“They should first take cognizance of the case. They should act on that, unsa man sila, nagbuta bungol lang sila? Sila gyud unta ang unahon,” Garganera said.

He added it is important that CCENRO and CHD will have findings to affirm or deny the complaints of the residents.

He said the notice of violations against ARN Central Waste Management Inc., the company that runs the landfill, is not related to the residents’ claims.

“He (EMB-7 regional director William Cuñado) never mentioned on the operation of the landfill. Categorically, he denied sad nga anything that has something to do with pollution.  About the respiratory related illness, that is not his domain and it was (for) the department of health,” Garganera said.

ARN reportedly violated the provision of the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System under Presidential Decree (PD) 1586 and violated conditions of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), which the DENR has issued on November 3, 2017, among others.

Garganera further said the concerned offices in the city government shall regularly monitor the operation of the landfill to ensure that they are compliant with the environmental laws and sanitary requirements.

“Ang Binaliw sauna daghang violations, nakadungog mo nga they were being penalized? They were able to file the corresponding fine, if any? Wala, cease and desist ra. Kinahanglan, naa ta’y local offices which are tasked to oversee the operation and they should take cognizance, at least ma-monitor nato,” he said.

The FREEMAN tried but failed to get the side of CCENRO and CHD on this matter as of press time.

Meanwhile, the barangay council of Binaliw and ARN Central Waste Management Inc. are scheduled to attend the technical conference at the Environmental Management Bureau-7 (EMB-7) today.

The technical conference is related to the complaint filed by the Binaliw barangay council last May 27. — GAN (FREEMAN)