‘UP not operating an open dumpsite’

The University of the Philippines has refuted charges made by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Heherson Alvarez that it was operating an open dumpsite in violation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

In a letter to Alvarez, dated July 2, UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Endriga said the state university denied it had been running an open dumpsite.

He told Alvarez, however, that UP has instead been operating a legally-sanctioned "controlled dumpsite" since the collapse of the Payatas dumpsite two years ago left the university with no place to dump the waste it generates.

Endriga said the university had been compelled to use a small segment of its land in Pook Arboretum to manage its waste because Quezon City officials had not responded to any of UP’s several requests last year to use the Payatas site.

The UP vice president backed his statement with copies of three letters, dated June 6 and 14, and Aug. 22, 2001, which UP had sent to the Quezon City officials.

He said the operations in Pook Arboretum comply strictly with Republic Act 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, particularly with provisions on operations of controlled dumps, or Section 39; and 2.2.2 of DAO No. 98-49.

"The waste materials, which consist largely of office and residential wastes, go through a controlled picking procedure and are spread and compacted into thin layers," he said. "The wastes are covered with soil or back-fill materials that are leveled off daily by a bulldozer and payloader."

Endriga said that burning is strictly prohibited in the area, and guards are posted in the area to prevent any such acts.

Earlier, on June 27, UP received a notice of violation from Secretary Alvarez, based on reports that UP was operating an "open garbage dump" at the Arboretum.

The notice came with an order to cease and desist against the operation of the "open garbage dump." – Romel Bagares