Another landfill row brewing, this time in Cavite

TERNATE, Cavite – Environmental group Kalikasan Foundation and the Ternateños Against Land Fill (TALA) will stage a rally here today to protest the proposed landfill in the province.

Carmela Boren, director of Kalikasan Foundation, said the non-government organization will assemble at the patio of Sto. Niño church here at 7:30 a.m. and the demonstrators will march around the town proper and end at the municipal hall of Ternate where the rallyists will present a petition against the landfill project at the Sangguniang Bayan of Ternate.

“We should all join hands in fighting the menace of our environment for the benefit of our children’s children,” Boren told The STAR.

Boren said the proposed project would surely contaminate the ground water of Ternate and the nearby towns of Naic, Maragondon and Tanza.

“To have a landfill in a small community is not acceptable. Imagine the contamination it will bring to the water system, the air and the disease that could spread in that landfill,” Boren said.

Boren said the proposed landfill, to be established in Barangay Sapang 2, was initiated by the provincial government with Environ Save as the private proponent of the 100-hectare project.

Boren said the proponents were able to secure an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources without any public hearing or education and information campaign.

“The ECC was granted last September 26 without properly consulting the community,” Boren said, adding that the area was declared a tourist area by a presidential decree.

Boren said the Puerto Azul Beach and Country Club and the Caylabne Resort and Caylabne retirement village are located in Barangay Sapang 1 which is near the proposed landfill site.

“Ternate town, together with Maragondon and the neighboring town of Nasugbu in Batangas, were all declared as ecotourism areas and travel destination by virtue of Presidential Decree 564,” Boren said.

Boren said the provincial government of Cavite has not implemented Republic Act 9003 or the solid waste management program before going into the landfill project.

“Before going into a landfill project, the local government should have implemented section 1 to section 29 of RA 9003 which is to segregate, recycle, reduce and re-use the garbage,” Boren said

Boren said the proposed landfill project would accommodate the garbage of Cavite towns but they expect trash from Metro Manila would later also be dumped in Ternate.