Local gov’t officials in Tabaco, Albay and Limay, Bataan sued over open dumpsites

The National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) has filed criminal and administrative complaints against six former and incumbent local government officials for violating Ecological Solid Waste Management Act due to open dumpsites.

In a complaint lodged before the Ombudsman, the NSWMC sued the following for for operating open dumpsites in their respective places: Mayor Cielo Krisel Lagman-Luistro of Tabaco City, Albay; Reynold Martires of City Environment and Natural Resources Officer of Tabaco City, Albay; Lilver Roque, former Mayor of Limay, Bataan; Romario Panangui, former Municipal Planning and Development Officer of Limay, Bataan; Randy Cacho, former Municipal Environment and Natural Resources of Limay, Bataan; and Danilo Quino, Chief of the General Services, Office of Limay, Bataan.

The NSWMC said the Albay officials have been operating an open dumpsite in Tabaco's Barangay San Vicente, where two Temporary Residual Containment Areas have also been established.

The Bataan officials, for their part, were allegedly operating open dumpsites in Limay's Barangay St. Francis 1 and Barangay Alangan.

As for the administrative raps, the NSWMC sued the local government officials for grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

“This complaint is executed to show to everyone that the NSWMC is serious in its role of seeing to it that the law is strictly complied with, especially by the local government officials,” the complaint read.

The law defines open dump as “a disposal area wherein the solid wastes are indiscriminately thrown or disposed of without due planning and consideration for environmental and health standards.”

Section 37 of the law states that no open dumps should be established and operated, nor any practice or disposal of solid waste by any person, including LGUs, which constitutes the use of open dumps for solid wastes, provided that every LGU will convert its open dumps into controlled dumps within three years after the effectivity of this Act and in accordance with the guidelines set in Section 41 of the law and provided, further, that no controlled dumps shall be allowed five years following the effectivity of this Act. — BM, GMA News