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Albur mayor softens stand vs. landfill
By:KIT BAGAIPO
UGDORACION |
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Having
adopted a strong opposing stance against the cluster
sanitary landfill project may have earned him the mayoralty
of Albur town but Mayor Jose Ugdoracion made a twist
on his stand as he vowed to adopt an "open-minded"
policy regarding the project.
Extensive
talks with the sanitary landfill proponents in the past
weeks allowed Ugdoracion to recognize the need for an
environmentally safe garbage disposal system.
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In
an interview with the Chronicle yesterday, Ugdoracion said
he will give proponents of the project a chance to educate
the people of Albur regarding sanitary landfills and the latest
technology it employs to ensure that the town's groundwater
resources will not be contaminated.
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Representatives
of the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) and Philippine
Environmental Governance (Eco-Gov) explained to Ugdoracion
that the sanitary landfill will never pollute the area
or spoil Albur's several residential sites being eyed
by housing and village developers.
While
he enjoys the backing of Vice Mayor Cirilo Jalad and
the majority of the municipal councilors, Ugdoracion
said the people of Albur will ultimately decide whether
they are amenable to host the cluster sanitary landfill.
The
mayor said he will allow the proponents to convince
the people of Albur to agree with the project.
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However,
the outcome of the process will greatly depend on the public's
acceptance, Ugdoracion stressed.
According
to Ugdoracion, he was assured by landfill proponents that
a waste segregation and treatment facility will prevent seepage
of leachate generated by the garbage disposed.
This
is a major concern of groups opposed to the project since
the sanitary landfill site is
reportedly situated in an aquifer that supplies water to four
barangays.
Moreover,
if Albur residents agree to host garbage from other municipalities,
Ugdoracion said only residual wastes will be allowed to the
cluster sanitary landfill.
The
waste material will also be lessened as segregation will be
implemented in the other towns, according to Ugdoracion.
The
project proponents will also ensure that the sanitary landfill
will not pose threats to public health, the mayor said.
Likewise,
Albur will benefit from the landfill hosting as the other
towns will be paying fees to the host local government unit.
Local
officials from the provincial to the barangay levels are mandated
to consolidate efforts to jointly address common solid-waste
management problems under RA 9003.
Since
sanitary landfills are expensive to develop and operate, the
law encourages clustering of nearby towns to undertake the
project.
Garbage
disposal problems started to threaten residents in Dauis and
Panglao after the Tagbilaran open dumpsite was closed down
by City Mayor Dan Lim.
Before
the project's contractor will start construction works at
the site, the mayor was assured that an environmental impact
statement (EIS) and an environmental compliance certificate
is issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
"The
environment and health of Alburanons is the priority of my
administration," Ugdoracion said.
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