Panit-an execs oppose proposed landfill

PANIT-AN, Capiz – Local government officials of this town are against the construction of a proposed clustered sanitary landfill in the municipality, denying reports that they received a big amount of money to favor the project.

Mayor Generoso Derramas sent a letter to Gov. Antonio del Rosario on Jan 30, 2019 informing him that “in order to preserve the harmony of nature and beautiful image of the town, the municipal officials strongly oppose the establishment of the landfill”.

The statement of the municipal officials is to counter the issue of some concerned citizens in the town that officials were allegedly bribed to allow the landfill, which is mandated by environmental laws.

Barangays Timpas, Capagao and Balatucan, all in Panit-an town, also passed resolutions that expressed opposition to the project.

The Sangguniang Bayan of Panit-an is expected to pass a similar resolution next week.

On Jan 27, more or less 1,000 residents and members of some organizations joined a White Monday Protest Rally at the town plaza to express their opposition to the proposed clustered sanitary landfill at Barangay Timpas, Panit-an, Capiz.

The protesters wore white shirts to depict cleanliness and sincerity of their cause against dumping of garbage from other towns to their municipality.

According to Rev. Fr. Ronnie Bañas, St. Lawrence the Deacon parish priest, the group marched around the town to air their sentiments against the proposal of the provincial government to construct the sanitary landfill.

The group also planned to hold protest rally in front of the Capiz provincial Capitol later on in the hope to wake up the mind of the local government officials.

Bañas said he is not in favor of the plan to make the town a dumping site of garbage from other towns in Capiz.

Bañas said he is concerned with the health conditions of the residents and the effects of the dumpsite, the reason why the parish issued a manifesto to air their concerns and opposition.

He added that the petition aims to gather 30,000 signatures from different sectors of the society in the town.

They will furnish the office of Governor Antonio del Rosario with a copy of the petition so that the chief executive will know the real sentiment of the public.

Bañas said the petition will also be sent to the office of Social Action Center and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Meanwhile, del Rosario has instructed the Capiz Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (Capenro) to temporarily withhold the implementation of the sanitary landfill.

According to Capenro Chief Emelyn Arboleda Depon, a public hearing on the proposed project will be held in January 2019 but it was postponed due to the unavailability of the resource speakers coming from the DENR, Mine Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).