Supreme Court orders Baguio dump site closure

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines’ highest court has ordered the closure of a 30-year-old dump site near a popular tourist enclave, five months after an avalanche at the massive rubbish heap killed five.

In a four-page ruling obtained by AFP on Sunday, the Supreme Court issued an environmental protection order to stop the Baguio city government from operating the Irisan landfill, citing environmental hazards.

“You … are hereby ordered, effective immediately, and until further orders from this court, to cease and desist from making use of the Irisan dumpsite either as a temporary holding/staging area or as a dumping or controlled area for any and all kinds of solid waste,” said the ruling.

The judgment, dated January 17, comes five months after a powerful storm triggered an avalanche at the site, killing five local people.

A petition had been filed by local officials and environmentalists who said continued use of the landfill not only endangered the public, but also contaminated a nearby waterway.

Baguio city, located on the northern island of Luzon, is a popular summer getaway, boasting picturesque pine-covered mountains and cool climate.

The court’s ruling marks only the second time that the Philippines’ top adjudicator has issued an environmental protection order.

In November, it stopped the operations of a 177-kilometer (109 mile) gas pipeline that passed underneath Manila after a leak was discovered, preventing what could have been a major disaster, environmentalists and officials said.