CITING CLOSE DISTANCE TO SEA Gina: Close landfill
Environment Secretary Gina Lopez wants the Inayawan sanitary landfill closed as soon as possible and asked the Cebu City government to look for a temporary location where it can dump its garbage.
She made an unscheduled visit to inspect the landfill for herself yesterday afternoon after reporters asked for her statement on the controversies surrounding the reopened facility operated by the Cebu City government.
She earlier considered to just allow the continued operation of the sanitary landfill by adding several measures to contain the smell and the hazards that it poses to environment, but early in the evening Lopez again called up reporters to announce that she has decided to ask the Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas to issue a closure order immediately.
"I did not know at first that the site was actually near the sea. If I would have known earlier, I would really have it closed. A landfill near the sea should not be allowed," Lopez stressed.
The DENR secretary said that she will make sure that the existing garbage at landfill will be dealt with as they have enough budget to do so.
She also promised to help the communities there by providing livelihood programs and coming up with help from a waste-to-energy firm.
It will be up to the city government to find a permanent site as she assured that the DENR will also be assisting them in the new site.
Lopez was in Cebu yesterday for various activities including the opening of the new EMB building in Banilad, and a forum on Gross National Happiness at the University of San Carlos in Talamban along with Undersecretary Nick Perlas.
The lecture tackled sustainable area development and management. Lopez brought in Dr. Saamdu Chetri of Bhutan's Gross National Happiness Center – an alternative way of gauging development through the happiness of citizens and not the Gross National Product where money is basis for development.
In the activities, Lopez was joined by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña. The mayor was also waiting for her at the Inayawan landfill when she decided to inspect the site for herself.
During his talks to Lopez, Osmeña blamed opposition city councilors for not giving him the budget to "fix" the landfill.
Lopez then called up opposition Councilor Joel Garganera and placed him on speakerphone to seek support for the City Council's approval the budget asked by the mayor.
Garganera replied that the landfill should be transferred to another location since it is near bodies of water.
Osmeña reopened the Inayawan facility claiming irregularities in the deal that allowed the dumping of garbage at a sanitary landfill in Consolacion. He said that millions were saved from the "anomalous" deal made by his predecessor Michael Rama.
Lopez also asked Garganera and Osmeña to talk about the issue. She emphasized that she does not want to be caught in the middle of a political squabble.
"I am doing this for Cebu. I love Cebu. Cebu is very magaan to me," she said.
DEALING WITH THE TRASH
Earlier in the day, Lopez held a press conference and told reporters DENR will be looking into BIOCHAR technology wherein microbes will be sprayed on the trash in the landfill to immediately deodorize the area and stop flies from converging.
The microbes, according to Lopez, will eat up the trash and the by-products can be used as fertilizer for the farmers.
She promised to solve the odor and flies problems in one week.
However, after inspecting the landfill, and seeing the mountains of trash there she retracted the promise. It needs to be leveled down first before the BIO-CHAR technology can be implemented, she said.
Lopez was with Undersecretary Isabello Montejo and EMB director William Cunado. She asked Cunado and Montejo closely monitor and lead the measures to be implemented at the Inayawan landfill.