'ECC for San Mateo landfill in the wrong location'

MANILA, Philippines - An environmental and sanitary engineer has insisted that the new landfill project in San Mateo, Rizal was actually constructed in the wrong location, practically rendering the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) issued for it by the government dubious since the document bears a different site.

This, even as the San Mateo Sanitary Landfill and Development Corp. (SMSLDC) declared it has already finished putting up its P380-million landfill project in December 2008 or five months after it began construction in July last year.

Meanwhile, an official of the Manila Waldorf School said their plan to transfer operation in San Mateo next school year is being “jeopardized” with the operation of the new landfill in the area, which has been the subject of vehement opposition by residents and environmentalists.

In a hearing at the San Mateo Regional Trial Court Branch 75 last Wednesday, Engr. Darrow Lucenario said the ECC issued by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza on Nov. 24 last year for the project showed that the 19-hectare landfill is located in Barangay Pintong Bukawe.

However, Lucenario pointed out that a zoning map of San Mateo town indicates that the landfill is actually located at the boundary of Barangays Maly and Guinayang.

A certification from the San Mateo’s deputy provincial and municipal assessor’s office signed by Conrado DC San Andres Jr. further shows that the 19-hectare property owned by the SMSLDC is located in Mabilog na Bato, Barangay Guinayang.

Moreover, a certification issued by Edgar Barraca, surveys division chief of DENR-Region 4-A, states that the project site “falls within Barangay Maly… as reflected in our Cadastral Map…”

The landfill, which has a capacity to accommodate more than 2,000 metric tons of garbage daily, reportedly started operating early this year until the Filinvest Land Inc. sought a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the project before the San Mateo RTC.

Filinvest owns at least 680 hectares of land in the periphery of the landfill, including two developed subdivisions.

Filinvest argued that the landfill’s continued operations would “hurt” their business.

Safety measures

Lawyer Andy Santiago, the landfill’s president and legal counsel, said they have put in place enough safety measures to safeguard the health of local residents and the environment.

He said the crater at the center of the landfill project is more than five hectares in size and has layers of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) membrane, which is impermeable.

“This ensures safety for the residents of San Mateo and that there will be no secretions from the solid wastes that may endanger their health,” he said.

Santiago also emphasized that all of the barangays in San Mateo have given their full support to the landfill operation.

Santiago said that once the landfill is allowed to operate, it could employ at least 2,000 local residents as recyclers who could each earn between P300 and P500 a day.

“We as sanitary advocates, it is our moral conviction to protect the people of San Mateo and the environment as well. And we will protect them,” he said.

Santiago also refuted accusations of residents and environmentalists that the facility is located within a watershed and forest areas.

He said the landfill project is located at a distance of seven kilometers from the watershed “in contrast to what they (referring to detractors) are saying.”

“These environmental groups are harping on the wrong facts because we have a certification that we are outside the forest and the watershed,” he said.

Santiago further said that the construction and development of the landfill was done phase by phase or on a cell-by-cell basis.

He said rehabilitation, maintenance of the landfill, and putting up of a wastewater treatment facility are among the subsequent phases to be undertaken by the landfill management.

Meanwhile, Santiago said the clearance and discharge permit application for the project from the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) is now under process.

An open dump

Nevertheless, Lucenario maintained that contrary to claims by the operators that it is a sanitary landfill, he said the facility is actually an open dump.

Lucenario also said the landfill started operating early this year even if it is only 25 percent complete, which is a violation of the condition stated under its ECC that all appropriate mitigating and enhancement measures should be in place and in accordance with the Environmental Management Plan (EMP), which was duly approved by the DENR’s Environment Management Board (EMB), before commencing operations.

At the same time, opponents of the new landfill in San Mateo could not ignore fears on the hazards that the project would bring to their community, health, and environment.

Antonio Montemayor, president of the Board of Trustees of the Manila Waldorf School, also testified during the TRO hearing last Wednesday before the chamber of Judge Manuel Taro that they were supposed to transfer their school from its present site in Heroes Hill, Quezon City to the Timberland Heights in San Mateo but the plan was held in abeyance because of the growing opposition from parents.

Montemayor said parents are worried over the health hazards and traffic congestion that the operation of the new landfill might cause.

“We are in limbo. We have nowhere to go. We might even stop operations next June because of the worries of the parents on the health and other hazards the operation of the landfill would bring to their children,” he said.

Montemayor said they are planning to construct a school building in the lower portion of Timberland Heights, as their contract with the owner of the lot in Heroes Hill expires in April 2010.

This, especially after children and parents who visited the Timberland location approved of the new site until the construction of the new landfill, which is estimated to be 200 meters away from their boundary and around one-and-a-half kilometers away from the planned school building.

“Some parents even bought properties in the area to be near the school,” Montemayor pointed out.

“(But now) parents have reservations over the transfer and expressed apprehension over the health of their children,” he added.

‘We stand by our beliefs’

Recalling his testimony in court, Montemayor, in a statement, said, “Our fears about the dump were belittled by the lawyers of the proponents. They claim that we do not know what we are talking about and that our fears are not real.”

He added: “We stand by our beliefs. Unfortunately, instead of soothing our fears, they have instead magnified them with their attitude. What can they also expect when the project was developed in secrecy and no proper consultation was done with the affected parties? Up to today, many people in San Mateo are still unaware of this project.”

Citing the landfill project’s own Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Montemayor said garbage trucks going to the facility would pass through densely populated areas, schools, markets and the Batasan Pambansa as well every day.

He cited documents showing the roads leading to the dump were “farm-to-market” roads funded by the Department of Public Works and Highways.

It also seemed, he alleged, that the owner of the contractor who built the roads is the president of the new San Mateo landfill.

On the ECC issue, Montemayor said, “Why did the DENR even issued an ECC in the first place for a new landfill in Pintong Bukawe when the Supreme Court already ruled in 2005 that it is environmentally dangerous to put up a landfill in the area?”

The Supreme Court, in fact, ordered the old landfill of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority there permanently closed, he said.

“Landfills in Pintong Bukawe or in nearby areas like Guinayang, Maly and Antipolo will put protected forests in the area, the Marikina watershed and other sources of fresh water for Metro Manila at risk,” Montemayor said.