Illegal dumpsite in Taytay being used for pot sessions ordered closed

Authorities on Friday ordered the closure of an illegal dumpsite in Taytay, Rizal that was allegedly being used for pot sessions, a News TV Live report of JP Soriano said.

Police were supposed to carry out on Friday a cease and desist order in the area from the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) because the area is part of the Laguna Lake Shore Land.

Upon reaching the area, policemen and members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team found a man residing inside the dumpsite, allegedly owned by a Filipino-Chinese businessman.

Authorities thus also conducted an "Oplan Tokhang," coined from the Cebuano words "toktok" and "hangyo," meaning that policemen knock on the houses of suspected drug users and urge them to stop their illegal ways.

Police Supt. Samuel Delorino said authorities found drug paraphernalia, including suspected shabu, in the dumpsite in Sitio Tapayan in Taytay.

Caretaker Marcelino Litana, however, denied the accusation, saying pot sessions are not being held in the area.

The dumpsite, reclaimed using construction debris, is being used as a repository of garbage from different parts of Metro Manila.

The report said the dumpsite was already ordered closed earlier but informal settlers kept using the area as the dumpsite has already become a source of income for them.

The informal settlers at the illegal dumpsite reportedly collect from private dump trucks a smaller fee compared to legal dump sites.

Authorities said this is a violation of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. —Veronica Pulumbarit/KG, GMA News