CENTRAL VISAYAS: DUMAGUETE CITY, NEGROS ORIENTAL
Dumaguete City gov’t assures landfill won’t push through without DENR’s full approval
THE DUMAGUETE City government has reassured all stakeholders that it will not build the proposed sanitary landfill (SLF) in Barangay Candau-ay without “a categorical YES” from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). In a statement last week, the local government acknowledged the assessment of the DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau that a sanitary landfill “may not be the most practical landuse for the site.” “Hence, the city government is seeking clarification with DENR if engineering interventions such as rehabilitation of present river dikes (currently ongoing), planting of bamboo trees and building of solid wall around the SLF site to prevent flooding or overflowing of river could mitigate the risk and make the site practical for an SLF.” Mayor Felipe Antonio B. Remollo said the site could also be used as a Materials Recovery Facility. Mr. Remollo has confirmed to the DENR in April the city’s plan to comply with the closure order on the present open dump site in the same barangay, prepare a transition site for solid wastes, and construct a sanitary landfill. — BW
30 Dumaguete City government workers fired after positive result in drug use test
AT LEAST 30 workers of Dumaguete City’s local government unit (LGU), mostly under casual and job order contracts, were terminated after testing positive for illegal drug use. Deputy City Administrator and Human Resource Manager Dinno T. Depositario told The Freeman that the regular employees who also tested positive were subjected to further investigation as part of due process before being fired. Mr. Depositario said the city government will be setting up a “wellness program,” which the fired employees can voluntarily join. “We are not forcing them to enroll in the program. However, if they want their jobs back, they need to go through it… we are giving them another chance,” he said. — The Freeman