Bataan residents buck sanitary landfill

BALANGA CITY, Philippines – Residents of a farming village are opposing the establishment of a sanitary landfill and material recovery facility in Samal town, Bataan, citing health and environment reasons.

Former Samal vice mayor Emilio Medina told The STAR that the residents manifested their opposition to the dump that was supposed to be constructed in the middle of a rice field in Sitio Aplo in Barangay San Juan project.

Medina urged the municipal government to conduct a thorough study of the project to ensure that its operation would not affect the health, sanitation and livelihood of residents.

Medina said the proposed sanitary landfill is close to residential areas and the site is prone to flooding. He expressed fears the project might contaminate the water sources.

In a letter to the Samal Sangguniang Bayan, the residents said the site was acquired by the municipal government allegedly without conducting a public hearing.

The STAR tried to get the side of Mayor Gene dela Fuente on the matter but an employee at the mayor’s office said she was in Manila attending a seminar.