Villagers buck proposed sanitary landfill in Dumaguete

THE proposed sanitary landfill site at a multi-million peso property in the outskirts village of
Candauay in Dumaguete City is drawing opposition from residents who cited health, safety and
environmental reasons. During the regular session of the City Council last November 29, local
legislators granted Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo the authority to purchase a 3.5-hectare lot
worth P18.7 million from spouses Francisco and Salvacion Divinagracia for the sanitary landfill
in Candauay. The move is in answer to repeated notices from the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources to shut down the city’s existing open dumpsite, also in the same
barangay, as it is already outlawed. At the same time, it also aims to address the worsening
problem of garbage collection and disposal in Dumaguete, with City Hall reporting an estimated
70 to 80 tons of waste generated daily. On December 1, residents in Barangay Camanjac, which
is adjacent to Candauay, signed a three-page opposition letter addressed to Remollo, expressing
their objection to the proposal. Bulk of the proposed landfill site is situated in Candauay, while
part of it is in Camanjac. The signature campaign, backed by the Catholic Church in Camanjac
headed by Fr. Sulpicio Vincoy, expressly pointed out certain parameters in the law that the
residents feel must be complied with by the City Government prior to the undertaking of the
sanitary landfill, said village resident Marilyn Kays, an active campaigner against the proposed
landfill. Residents in nearby Barangay Camanjac are apprehensive because the proposed site is
just 100 meters away from the LCP Bloomingtown housing project and a few hundred meters
from the river. Kays clarified that they are not against the establishment of a sanitary landfill, as
they understand the necessity to put up the facility to address the garbage problem of the city.
But, she added, their concerns center on basic issues like health, as the proposed site is near a
populated, residential area; safety, because the site is a lagnasan or a natural course of the nearby
Ocoy River; and environmental hazards, with the site vulnerable to flooding. The signature
campaign aims to get as many signatures as possible and will hopefully be forwarded to Remollo
today, December 4. Meanwhile, Loreto Revac, Provincial Environment Management Unit
(Pemu) officer-in-charge of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)-Negros Oriental,
said on December 1 that the establishment of a sanitary landfill will take a lengthy process. He
said the first step would be for a technical team of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Central
Visayas to conduct a geological suitability assessment and other processes of the area being
proposed for the sanitary landfill. This will be done in coordination with the EMB and DENR, he
added. Revac added that after the joint assessment, recommendations would be made to the
regional director for review. Other processes would include the determination of daily waste
generation of the city and social acceptability of the residents/community of the proposed
project, environmental impact assessment and environmental compliance certificate, among
others, Revac said. Revac also assured that a social acceptability would be conducted to
determine the sentiments of the residents in the barangays and the community. (PNA)
Dumaguete gears up to shut down open dumpsite
DUMAGUETE CITY -- The city government of Dumaguete is getting ready to shut down its
outlawed open dumpsite even as it reassured the public this will happen only once a sanitary
landfill has been established to accommodate the city’s garbage. The city government has been
doing its best to locate a site for the sanitary landfill after it was notified a number of times
already that the operation of open pit dumpsite is now illegal in the country. City Information
Officer Dems Rey Demecillo confirmed on Thursday that the Technical Working Group (TWG),
which Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo created in April 2017, is tasked to work on both the
closure of the dumpsite and the establishment of a sanitary landfill. It would cost the city an
estimated PHP7.7 million to close the 30-year-old open dumpsite situated in the outskirts
barangay of Candauay, according to Demecillo. He explained that the city through the TWG is
set to submit its final report on the closure of the dumpsite to the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR). Part of the report includes proposals for a safe and sustainable
rehabilitation plan on what to do with the piles of garbage, both bio-degradable and non-
biodegradable, as well as toxic materials found in the dumpsite. For the biodegradable waste,
certain methods are to be adopted, such as the use of bio-enzymes to speed up the decomposition
of waste, he explained. The TWG is considering other processes to dispose of the garbage that
has been collected over the past three decades and disposed of at the Candauay dumpsite.
Demecillo quoted the TWG report to be submitted this month to the DENR as saying that cost
estimates for the dumpsite closure would cover the reshaping, compaction, slope stabilization,
construction of embankment, placement of soil cover materials and vegetation (PHP5.8 million);
construction of drainage, leachate pond, monitoring wells and gas vents (PHP1.5 million);
construction of fencing and signage (PHP300,000), lighting of guardhouse and other auxiliaries
(PHP150,000). Remollo has repeatedly announced his intent to establish a sanitary landfill
during his term, in accordance with the law. The city government had earlier announced having
found a 3.5-hectare lot in Candauay that would be suitable for the sanitary landfill. However,
residents in that barangay and nearby areas like Barangay Camanjac are opposing the plan. The
mayor has asked the public to wait for the DENR’s recommendation on whether the proposed lot
has passed the agency’s standards, Demecillo said. Dumaguete generates some 80 tons of
garbage each day. (PNA)

29 of 30 barangays back Dumaguete City sanitary landfill plan

THE PROPOSED construction of a sanitary landfill in the outskirts of Barangay Candau-ay in
Dumaguete City has gained the support of 29 of 30 barangays in the city. A landfill is required
under Republic Act 9003 otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management of 2000.
The village chiefs said the landfill is long overdue, especially as the open dumpsite in Candau-ay
is becoming a health hazard, aside from violating provisions of the solid waste management law.
Several closure orders on the dumpsite have been received by the city government, starting from
previous administrations, with a penalty reaching P2.514 million. In an interview Friday, Mayor
Felipe Antonio B. Remollo said he would not want this problem to be passed on to another set of
city officials. The city has earlier complied with seven of the 13 parameters set by Department of
Environment and Natural Resources, and is now waiting for further instructions from the
regional office of the Mines and GeoSciences Bureau.

Environmental groups push for d ecentralization of w aste mg mt

DUMAGUETE CITY, Jan. 21 (PIA)—In time with the observance of Zero Waste Month this
January, representatives of environmental groups here called for the decentralization of waste
management systems at the barangay level and to practice proper waste segregation at source. In
a Kapihan sa PIA forum held recently, Zero Waste Cities Project Dumaguete Project Manager
Merci Ferrer explained that bringing down waste management systems and processes to the
barangay level is the essence of R.A. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. She
believes this is the best approach to address the city’s garbage problem. “The 30 barangays of
our city should be working on a decentralized system. They should have more than one Materials
Recovery Facilities (MRFs). They should have waste collectors. They should be teaching our
local households how to properly segregate malata (biodegradable), dili malata (non-
biodegradable), special wastes, etc. It’s segregation at source,” Ferrer said. MRFs pertain to
waste collection centers or waste sorting centers that also process recyclable materials. Under
RA 9003, MRFs are required to facilitate composting of biodegradable wastes. Ferrer suggested
that big barangays can establish their own MRFs or other barangays can set up clustered MRFs.
She emphasized that the “no segregation, no collection” policy should be strictly imposed. In a
study done by Zero Waste Cities Project in selected cities all around the country, they found out
that 61.26 percent of the total waste generated by households are biodegradable, while 19. 17
percent are non-biodegradable, 16.12 percent are residual, and 3.44 percent are special or
hazardous wastes. Last year, the Zero Waste Cities Project-Dumaguete formalized a partnership
with barangays Lo-oc, Piapi, and Bantayan in adopting a comprehensive waste management
system. “By building cost-effective and small-scale MRFs, Bantayan and Lo-oc have diverted
more than 60 percent of their waste from Candau-ay Dumpsite and our bodies of water,” Ferrer
said. Meanwhile, BPI-Bayan Project Coordinator and Kinaiyahan Inc. President Gary Rosales
believes that achieving a zero-waste community is possible when there is political resolve in the
part of barangay leaders to make their community a better place. He said establishing zero-waste
management systems need not be costly. Rosales, who is also a member of Barangay Bantayan’s
Ecological Solid Waste Management, shared during the Kapihan the 10-Step Zero-Waste
Process that the barangay adopted. The major steps implemented under the said process are the
following: establishment of the Barangay Ecological Solid Waste Management (SMW)
Committee; formulation of Barangay Ordinace and 10-Year SWM Plan; formulation of systems
and schedules; establishment of the MRFs; complete Information, Education, and
Communications (IEC); and monitoring and enforcement of penal provisions of the ordinance.
The journey of Barangay Bantayan to become a zero-waste community started in July 2018.
After four months, Rosales noted significant improvements in the village’s waste management.
“With five waste collection vehicles and seven waste collectors working three times a week,
waste collected from households already dropped by 20 percent. What is amazing is the 92
percent drop in the volume of biodegradables surrendered by the households because the
households themselves are now practicing composting,” he said. Rosales added that the waste
diversion rate or the percentage of waste that no longer goes to Candau-ay is at 70 percent.
Through the initiatives by the said barangays, the two representatives of environmental groups
are hoping that other villages in the city will also follow and work towards a city-wide approach
for a zero-waste city. Meanwhile, City Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO)
Chief Engr. Chilvier Patrimonio said that in support to the zero-waste advocacy, her office
regularly conducts IEC campaign per barangay and per households. “We go to the heart of the
people. We inform them. We educate them. We teach them how to do segregation and how to
compose,” Patrimonio said. She also noted that the flagship program of the city government is
still the safe closure and rehabilitation of the city dumpsite and establishment of a sanitary
landfill.

Landfill Problem
Dr. Charlie Fabre, the provincial environment and natural resources officer of Negros Oriental,
last week extolled the need for a sanitary landfill in Dumaguete. It was yet another reminder of
the urgency of the problem we’ve been having for many years now. Much has been said about
the controversial plan to put up a sanitary landfill in Dumaguete. In a nutshell, the City wants it
but the residents of barangay Camanjac, the proposed landfill site, are against it. The delay in
finding an alternative to our dumpsite is a real case for worry. The present dumpsite needs to be
closed. It is right beside the Banica river and it is a major pollutant. One big flood could empty
all our garbage down to the sea and we don’t want that. While awaiting the results of some tests
by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources about the suitability of the sanitary
landfill site (what’s taking it so long?), the Dumaguetenos continue to add about 30 tons of
garbage every day to the City dumpsite that was supposed to have been closed already. We need
to lessen the amount of garbage we produce to cushion the negative impact of this problem (yes,
it is a problem). Buying more garbage trucks to improve garbage collection will only increase the
volume of trash at the dumpsite at a faster pace. The City could come up with a program to
encourage real waste segregation at source or have a contest for the best compost pit or organic
waste recycling facility While this problem was inherited by the Remollo administration and the
administrations before it, it is incumbent upon them to act on it. This continues to hound them
like having a chronic pain that won’t go away.

Landfill Or Dumpsite Closure?

For many years now, the dumpsite located in Bgy. Candau-ay has been operating beyond its full
storage capacity. Its continued existence posed hazards to public health, at the same time, has
threatened the environment, livability situation of the people, and placed the sanitary conditions
of the city at risk. Numerous notices have been sent to the city government warning about the
dangers that the landfill poses to the immediate community and to the entire city. A number of
“closure orders” and “authority to close” have been issued to clamp down the dumpsite.
Unfortunately, the dumpsite continues to operate and the accumulated volume of solid waste
deposited had already reached beyond its intended storage capacity. Given this situation in
Dumaguete, the big question is, which should come first, closure of the Candau-ay dumpsite or
building of a sanitary landfill? But here are the forthcoming issues if we close it today: where
shall we put our mounting garbage? Leave the trash to pile high uncollected in the streets? Or
allow households to burn their garbage? Section 37 of Republic Act No. 9003 otherwise known
as Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 provides that no open dumps shall be
allowed three years following the effectivity of the Act, further, controlled dumpsite shall be
allowed five years following the effectivity of the Act. Therefore, all open and controlled
dumpsites should have been phased out and closed as of Feb.16, 2006.

Dumaguete City mulls use of exclusive sanitary landfill

Dumaguete City– Racing against time with a local open dumpsite already “overflowing” with
trash, the Dumaguete City government is now considering establishing a sanitary landfill for its
exclusive use. The national government has already outlawed open dumpsites with local
government units (LGUs) across the country, including that of this city, receiving closure notices
from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Mayor Felipe Antonio
Remollo announced during a meeting with barangay captains that the city government is
considering a five-hectare lot in the city’s outskirts that could be ideal for the sanitary landfill,
according to City Information Officer Dems Rey Demecillo. Demecillo said the city’s plan to
establish its own sanitary landfill came as LGUs that had potential sites have yet to act on the
proposal for a clustered facility to be shared with other nearby municipalities comprising Metro
Dumaguete. A Technical Working Group (TWG) had earlier visited possible sites for a clustered
sanitary landfill in the municipalities of Valencia, Sibulan and Dauin, in response to public
clamor against the city’s growing problem of solid waste disposal. However, Demecillo said that
the proposed clustered facility met some snags, such as problems with community acceptance,
prompting the Dumaguete mayor to consider building an “exclusive” sanitary landfill only for
use of the city residents. Demecillo said this is due to limited space which cannot accommodate
trash from other towns, considering that a clustered sanitary landfill requires ten hectares
contiguous while one that caters only to the needs of the city requires five hectares. This is a
“best effort” of the mayor even though he is still open to other localities in Metro Dumaguete,
Demecillo said. The city has already found a potential site in the outskirts barangays of
Camanjac and Candauay but this is subject to the approval of the DENR, the city information
officer said. In the meantime, the city government, through its Environment and Natural
Resources Office (ENRO) is working double time to address the problem of garbage collection
and disposal. The city had recently acquired new garbage compactor trucks but the volume of
trash at the open dumpsite in Candauay has alarmed residents, especially with piles of refuse
spilling onto the road photographed and posted on social media.