Carmen residents laud halt of landfill

CEBU, Philippines —  Residents of the municipality of Carmen said they are ecstatic over the provincial government’s order to halt the development of the Carmen Landfill Project.

According to Carmen Mayor Carlo Villamor, his constituents heaved a sigh of relief after they heard about the latest news regarding Governor Gwendolyn Garcia’s electoral campaign promise to discard the Carmen Landfill Project.

“Nagpasalamat mi ni Governor Gwen kay nigawas man to sa media two weeks ago nga iya nang giturn-down ang landfill project sa Carmen. Ang mga tawo sa Carmen lipay kaayo nga dili na madayon ang project,” Villamor said.

The landfill was supposed to handle the garbage coming the province’s northern municipalities. However, residents in Carmen are opposed to the project due to the threats it poses on not only to their health but also to the environment.

Although actual steps for the construction of the landfill were taken during the administration of former governor Hilario Davide III in 2016, through the allocation of P5,000,000 for the project, the plan for the landfill started during Garcia’s previous administration.

It was during Garcia’s previous administration when the lot was purchased primarily for the creation of the landfill.

“I stated that during my campaign and I will fulfill it karon nga na-gobernador ko balik. Dili g’yud na nato ipadayon diha. Dili g’yud na mahinayon and landfill diha sa Carmen,” Garcia said in an interview.

She said many residents came forward during her electoral campaign visit in Carmen requesting her to put a stop to the development of the Carmen Landfill Project.

Aside from predicted concerns about bad odor, Villamor elaborated that the landfill could mean substantial harm to the residents’ health and poses the threat of large-scale environmental degradation.

The threat is especially alarming for the people of Carmen since the landfill was planned to be built on the 17-hectare provincial lot in Dawis Sur near the Luyang Watershed, from where the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) supplies 35 million liters of water per day to Metro Cebu.

Villamor said that because the landfill will become a reservoir of garbage from the 4th and 5th districts, the residents fear the amount of trash that would be deposited in Dawis Sur may be overwhelming.

“Di ra man gud ang Carmen ang molabay. Apil pa ang mga nagkalain-laing municipalities ug apil pa ang mga siyudad. Bug-atan ang Carmen ato,” Villamor explained.

There is no talk yet as to where the landfill will be moved. Currently, the province is trying to rehabilitate the lot by planting trees in the area.

“At the same time we were thinking sad asa ilabay ang basura. Kay ang basura problema man gud ni dili lang sa Carmen kung dili sa tanan g’yud na municipalities sa Cebu,” Villamor added. — BRP (FREEMAN)