Mayors respond to garbage raps

Malabon City Mayor Canuto "Tito" Oreta pleaded yesterday for understanding from the Philippine Bar Association (PBA) that earlier filed charges against him and two other Metro Manila mayors for alleged non-compliance with the Philippine Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

Oreta said he is trying his best under the circumstances, but the city government is hounded by financial constraints.

"We are trying out best to comply with the law, but our hands are tied," Oreta told The STAR. The mayor also sought the support of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) asking the same office to re-open the now closed Catmon dump.

"We would like to reiterate our request for the DENR to re-open the Catmon dump as an immediate solution to our current garbage disposal problem. It is also not true that the site is already full," Oreta said.

The dump has been a closed facility when Oreta assumed office in July last year. The mayor said that of the P501-million city budget for 2004, only some P42 million was set aside for hauling Malabon’s garbage, whereas the actual cost has soared to P92 million. He told The STAR the city spends some P5,000 per truck daily for hauling garbage to Montalban, some 84 kilometers away.

Oreta said he is negotiating with new haulers that could give a competitive, but affordable price.

The mayor also revealed that the city is in the process of acquiring new trucks for the purpose, the bidding for which is set for this month.

"By June this year, we shall be able to start with four new units. Unti-unti lang muna," he said.

"May pera ang Malabon pero hindi allocated. Illegal naman kung gagamitin mo ang pera nang walang appropriation sa budget," City Treasurer Ernesto Pabustan explained, debunking unconfirmed reports the city was flat broke.

When asked why he did not reply to the PBA notice to sue despite being given 30 days, Oreta put the blame on his rookie team at the City Legal Office for the lapse.

"Mga bago pa sla. Hindi pa siguro kabisado ang sistema," he said.

No factual basis

San Juan is not "stinking of garbage as yet."

This reaction was issued by Mayor Joseph "JV" Victor Ejercito following the filing of the suit.

Though he did not receive a copy of the charges, Ejercito said the environment charged against San Juan had no factual basis.

Ejercito said he strongly believes that he is being singled out as other cities serviced by two private garbage haulers — REN Transport and Greenline — have not been included in the charge sheet.

"Our contract with these contractors is 100 percent collection, with a door-to-door garbage collection," the mayor said. "I’m wondering why other cities serviced by the two private garbage haulers were not included in the charge sheet."

Ejercito pointed out that San Juan is now maintaining an open dump and has been a recipient of the Gawad Pangulo sa Kalikasan award.

He said garbage used to be disposed at the Pinaglabanan Shrine compound, but he ordered it permanently stopped because of the desecration of the historical site.

"Unlike other cities in Metro Manila, you seldom find garbage in the streets of San Juan. So I sense some political color in this case," Ejercito said.

Budget limitations

Changes don’t happen overnight.

This in essence was the defense of Parañaque City Mayor Florencio Bernabe to the charges filed against him by the PBA.

Nelson Lacambra, the mayor’s spokesman, said City Hall would take necessary steps, be it legal or administrative, to answer the complaint within the 30 day prescription period upon receipt of the copy.

"The mayor is doing his best to address the garbage problem in the city despite limitations in budget due to debts left by the previous administration," he told The STAR.

Lacambra cited the lack of ample budget of the city as the reason why garbage projects by Bernabe are still pending.

The City Hall official said Bernabe has tapped the environmental and waste management unit to get rid of garbage along major thoroughfares in the city.

"The city looks much cleaner now compared to the previous years. It has improved a lot since the creation of Solid Waste Management Board late last year," he said.

The PBA filed charges against Bernabe for hiring an unlicensed trucking firm that operates in the three-hectare material recovery facility on Barangay San Antonio.

"The city government is checking on the allegation and would make the necessary move. But as for the transfer station in San Antonio, there is a plan to relocate it to another area within the city by October," Lacambra said.

The official also stressed that four major villages in the city are already practicing garbage segregation, which is an essential part of Philippine Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. – With Non Alquitran, Edu Punay