Landfill row isn’t over yet

Who’s talking trash here?

The 14-hectare Montalban sanitary landfill was finally ordered opened to Metro Manila garbage last Friday, according to Rodriguez Mayor Pedro Cuerpo, but Rizal Gov. Casimiro Ynares III is saying otherwise.

According to Cuerpo, the landfill was opened Friday night but the absence of the contractor in the wee hours of Saturday resulted in some confusion.

Cuerpo said they were unable to immediately relay the order to the consortium (International SWIMS-A.L. Salazar Construction-Persan Construction) operating the landfill, which resulted in a delay in the opening.

Cuerpo added that the problem was later addressed and the landfill was finally reopened yesterday morning.

“It’s okay. It’s now open. There’s no problem any more,” Cuerpo told The STAR in a phone interview.

However, Ynares yesterday clarified that the Montalban landfill was still closed up to yesterday.

“It is not true that Mayor Cuerpo ordered the re-opening of the landfill. The 14-hectare sanitary landfill is still closed; what is operational as of today is the new 19-hectare Rizal provincial sanitary landfill,” said Ynares, who called up The STAR to clarify the matter.

Ynares also denied that Cuerpo shut down the Montalban landfill because of a disagreement with him and the Rizal provincial government.

“There is no disagreement between Mayor Cuerpo and I. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan closed down the old municipal landfill, whose contract was terminated by the Sangguniang Bayan of Montalban, effective Aug. 31. That is the reason why it was shut down and not because we have a squabble,” Ynares said.

Last Friday, Cuerpo secured a legal opinion from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) favorable to his argument that the Rodriguez municipal government had jurisdictional authority over the Montalban Solid Waste Disposal Facility (MSWDF) and other landfills in its municipality, causing him to open the MSWDF.

Ynares, for his part, said it was not true that Cuerpo ordered the reopening of the facility after the DILG ruled the other day in his favor in his word war with Ynares.

The DILG stated in a legal opinion that the operation of the MSWDF clearly states that the basic services of solid waste disposal are devolved only to municipalities.

Ynares does not dispute the DILG opinion but lamented that it was being used for another purpose and for another case.

“The DILG’s opinion is true that the basic services of solid waste disposal are devolved only to municipalities. We are not managing the solid waste of Montalban, if they want they can throw their garbage somewhere else. But the DILG is using this ruling in another case in ordering the reopening of the facility. The DILG is twisting its facts. Ang lumalabas, iba ang pinursue nila, ginagamit nila yung ruling in another case (It looks like they pursued another case, but they are using the ruling in another case),” Ynares III said.

The controversy started Oct. 9 when Ynares ordered the closure of the 14-hectare landfill following concerns raised by the provincial board regarding the safety of the residents in the area. The board said the landfill could no longer accommodate further dumping of garbage.

The municipal government operates the 14-hectare landfill. The provincial government, however, ordered its closure and opened a new 19-hectare facility beside it.

The new landfill, which will be administered by the provincial government, angered Cuerpo who, in turn, ordered the closure of both landfills.

At least 40 percent of Metro Manila’s daily garbage collections are dumped in the Rodriguez landfill.