Cavite sanitary landfill gets ECC amid protests

TRECE MARTIRES CITY – The sanitary landfill project of the Cavite provincial government in Ternate town was declared ecologically safe after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) to its project proponent.

Gov. Ayong Maliksi said the DENR issued an ECC to Environsave, the project proponent, after it complied with all the requirements and after the project underwent thorough study in terms of location and technology in compliance with Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

Maliksi said the provincial environment and natural resources office and the regional tourism office both certified that the area is not within Mt. Palay-palay and Mataas na Gulod National Park. 

The Mines and Geo­sciences Bureau, on the other hand, concluded in its study that the site in Barangay Sapang 2 is suitable to the proposed sanitary landfill, Maliksi added.

But the landfill project has its share of protests. The environmental group Kalikasan Foundation and the Terna­tenios Against Landfill staged a protest rally against the project here last Thursday. 

Carmela Boren, director of Kalikasan Foundation, said their group, together with other non-government organizations, later proceeded to Ternate where they presented a petition against the project with the municipal council.

Boren expressed fear that the landfill would contaminate the underground water of Ternate and the neighboring towns of Naic, Maragondon and Tanza.

The Ecological Waste Coalition and Cavite Green Coalition are also protesting the project, calling it an “irresponsible” move on the part of the  provincial government. – With Katherine Adraneda