CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The City of San Fernando local government has expressed fears the proposed waste facility in Porac, Pampanga, will become an open dumpsite in the wake of mounting complaints in Cebu City where the same MRF operator conducts wastes recovery.
Maria Theresa Doble, OIC, CSF City Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO), has expressed fears the proposed waste facility in Porac will only become an open dumpsite.
This, as indignant residents reported the foul odor emanating from the Binaliw Landfill in Cebu City, which is reportedly being operated by the Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PWS), the same company managing the landfill in Porac, Pampanga.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), and the Clark Development Corporation (CDC), had referred the Porac waste facility as one of the accredited 10 waste facilities in Pampanga province.
Published reports have it that Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has already ordered an investigation into the incomplete PWS Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) which emitted foul odors, contaminates water, and facing operational inefficiencies.
Garcia conducted an on-site inspection of the Binaliw landfill on Friday, September 20. Garcia said urgent steps must be taken to solve the pressing issues of foul odors, contaminated stagnant water, and runoff during heavy rains.
“Hindi malayo base sa kung sino ang nagooperate. Ang nagooperate sa Binaliw Landfill is the same management operating at the Prime Waste Holding. Binaliw is not a landfill but an MRF base on the news and statement of Mayor Garcia of Cebu City,” according to Doble.
When asked if the Porac waste facility is ready to accept the volume of waste in Central Luzon, Doble said it cannot cope up with its current capacity. “No, they are only mechanized Material Recovery Facility not an engineered sanitary landfill wherein they have only Residual Containment Area (RCA) for the residual,” Doble said.
Doble said the City of San Fernando which has “35 barangays, only have 12 city trucks running whole day from 2am to 10pm and other subdivisions transferring their residual waste in our CMRF, the average residual waste of the City is 120-125 metric tons a day.”
“The best solution for the waste management is waste reduction, waste diversion and informed and disciplined waste generators,” Doble said.
More than 150 LGUs all over Central Luzon, and parts of Pangasinan and Benguet had been opposing the closure the only sanitary engineered Kalangitan Landfill in Capas, Tarlac. The PWS MRF was launched in March 2024 and the operation in Porac is expected to start next month amid opposition from the LGUs.
Senator Raffy Tulfo has earlier expressed fears that LGUs in Central and Northern Luzon will resort back to using illegal dumpsites and riverways to discard effluents “increasing vulnerability to flooding” if the Kalangitan Landfill in Capas, Tarlac will shut down next month.
Most hospitals in Metro Manila are also sending their hospital wastes to the Kalangitan Landfill for disposal.
“Kapag alisin po natin ang Kalangitan Landfill – the necessary effect would be that these Local Government Units served by the Landfill would revert to dumping into our waterways and other illegal dumpsites which run the risk of not only poisoning our water supply,” Senator Tulfo said.
“Mula noon at hangang ngayon, basura pa rin ang ating problema mula sa mililiit na mga munisipyo hanggang sa pinakamalalaking siyudad,” according to Sen. Tulfo, who called on the BCDA and DENR “to explain their action and prove to us – or rather, prove to the public – that this would not lead to another disaster waiting to happen.”
Sen. Tulfo said if the plan of BCDA and CDC to close the Capas waste facility would cause environmental degradation, he urged both government agencies to recall their order to stop the MCWMC operations. “Nananawagan ako sa mga ahensiyang ito na bawiin na agad ang kanilang proposed action, alang alang na lamang sa mga kababayan nating maaaring biktima na naman ng kalamidad.”