Gapan City says no to dumpsite for Metro trash

GAPAN CITY — "No way."

This was the reply of Mayor Ernesto Natividad to the proposal to turn a 573-hectare property in this city as a dumpsite for Metro Manila’s trash.

In an interview with The STAR yesterday, Natividad said he is personally opposed to the plan to convert Barangay Macabaklay into a site for a modern sanitary landfill to handle Metro Manila’s garbage.

"We don’t want to be the dumping ground for Manila’s garbage. Kung lahat tumatanggi, bakit kami tatanggap (If everybody refuses, why would we accept)?" he said.

Natividad was reacting to the suggestion of Parañaque Mayor Joey Marquez to Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando to consider the site located in the southern part of the province near the Sierra Madre mountain range as a dumpsite for Metro Manila’s garbage. He said the land has been idle since two years ago.

The MMDA earlier said that more than seven hectares of open land is needed for the 6,000 tons of garbage produced by Metro Manila residents a day after it has dropped plans to build a P5-billion waste facility in Quezon.

Marquez said that provincial board member Nathaniel Bote Jr., a resident of General Tinio town, even confirmed that the proposed site will help solve Metro Manila’s garbage woes.

However, Natividad said that Marquez has not even gone to the proposed site. He also lashed at Bote for commenting on a very sensitive issue without bothering to consult the people of Gapan.

The mayor said his constituents are strongly opposed to garbage dumping. However, he said he is open to discuss the pros and cons of the issue.

Nueva Ecija Governor Tommy Joson earlier told IBC-13 in an interview that the proposal is okay within but it would have to be approved by the local officials and the people themselves.

Prior to the local elections in 2001, some 300 truckloads of Manila’s garbage were about to be dumped in Macabaklay but Catholic Church officials and Natividad himself prevented it.