Garbage plan may explode to epic proportions - ROSES AND THORNS by Alejandro R. Roces

No less a person than former House Speaker Manny Villar has called attention to the possibility that an environmental disaster of epic proportions may take place if and when the administration enforces its plan to transport Metro Manila’s garbage to Semirara island off Antique. Semirara is just 50 kilometers from Boracay, one of our most popular tourist beach resorts. Villar has consistently been an advocate of clean environment and it was during his term as speaker that the Clean Air Act was enacted into law.

"The environmental risk of transporting tons of garbage on a 20- hour trip on a regular basis is extremely high," he said. "It takes only one mistake to trigger an environmental disaster and we must not allow that to happen."

At the same time, Health Secretary Alberto Romualdez, Jr. has asked the objectors of the proposed Semirara dumpsite project to suggest a viable alternative. Villar wants the administration to implement the Solid Waste Management Act as passed by the House during his term. The first problem is where to implement it. No province wants any of its territory to be used as a garbage dump. But garbage has to be dumped somewhere. The thing is to dump it where it will cause minimal risk and harm to the environment.

There was an attempt to dump Metro Manila’s garbage in Mariveles, Bataan. But Mariveles Mayor Angel Peligorio staunchly opposed the plan, saying it was patently illegal because his town had not approved of said plan. Now the people of Semirara are opposing the same plan. Can Metro Manila’s rubbish be inflicted on them without their consent? Do the people of Semirara stand to gain anything by converting their island to Metro Manila’s garbage dump?

It is obviously a very serious problem with no easy solution in mind. One can only imagine what will happen in Metro Manila if it cannot rid itself of its refuse. But Metro Manila cannot just dump its problem elsewhere. You don’t protect the environment when you shift pollution from one place to the other. In Payatas, survivors of the July 10 tragedy legally challenged an order of President Estrada allowing the reopening of the 15-hectare dumpsite.

Undoubtedly, Metro Manila’s garbage problem is now of national concern. As it is, it seems to us that the people who believe they know the solution come from the sector that created the problem. There will be no permanent solution to the Metro Manila’s garbage problem. The very best we can hope for is relief from the last solution. Problems, they say, should not be faced. They should be attacked. How do you attack a problem with an unsatisfactory solution?