Dumaguete mayor authorized to buy lot for landfill site
The Dumaguete City
Council had approved a resolution authorizing Mayor
Felipe Remollo to enter into and sign for the city government the purchase of a lot of the
Divinagracia couple to be used, if possible, as the site of the sanitary land fill of the city.
The Council vote was five in favor, one against and three abstentions, after deliberations of the purchase of the 30,530-square meter lot, near a housing subdivision, at a price of P615 per square meter.
The lone ‘no’ vote was Councilor Agustin Perdices, who contended that a qualified majority is needed on this considering the big amount of money involved, which is P18.77 million. But Councilor Manny Arbon countered that only a simple majority is because the amount was already appropriated in a previously approved ordinance.
Besides Arbon, the other four who voted ‘yes’ were Councilors Lilani Ramon, Jo Kenneth Arbas, Alan Gel Cordova, and Michael Bandal. Those who abstained — Councilors Lionel Banogon, Jose Victor Imbo, and Estanislao Alviola were out of the session hall when the voting was conducted.
The site is situated more than 100 meters away from the Bloomington housing site, and 300 to 400 meters away from the waterway. Arbon said a technical working group, of which he is the chairman, is expecting opposition to the proposed site due to misconceptions that the city is merely transferring the dumpsite to another site, but still within Barangay Candau-ay.
Arbon said the city government is running against time with no other possible area that can accommodate an average of 60 to 70 tons of garbage daily. The best option is to buy the lot for a possible SLF, while enforcing strictly the segregation at-source policy so that only residual waste would be dumped there, he said.
Arbon wanted to correct the misconception that an SLF is similar to an open dumpsite, because the former produces no foul odor that could direly affect surrounding communities. A comprehensive information campaign should be conducted to address this misconception, Arbon said.
Thus, Liga nga mga Barangays chairman, Councilor Lionel Banogon, said he abstained the voting because he wanted more consultations before the SLF project is established. Candauay Barangay Chairman Gregorio Oira told Banogon that a consultation among his constituents is being held today, Sunday.