Wallowing in waste

Eleven years ago, an avalanche from the mountain of garbage in Payatas buried alive 300 residents. Recently, on Aug. 27, a “trash slide” in the Irisan Baguio dumpsite during typhoon Mina’s onslaught killed six people. The 16-story, multi-million-peso retaining wall dividing and hiding the open dumpsite from the sight of the community collapsed. Expect contamination and health issues to arise. Because the garbage blocked a creek, “water flowed through roads, carrying garbage and leachate (liquid from decaying garbage) toward the villages of Tadiangan, Nangalisan and San Pascual.”  (https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/52611/huge-task-confronting-baguio-moving-10000-trucks-of-waste)

Since R.A. 9003, our solid waste management law, is not seriously implemented by LGUs and other agencies, we can presume more trash slides to be a recurring phenomenon amid a vastly changed climate.

Will we just wait for another tragedy to happen and wallow in waste?

Advocates have tried what was humanly possible to awaken the conscience of our public officials for them to prioritize our health and the environment. Civil society engaged the government and the business sector to do more in mainstreaming and allocating a bigger budget for environmental management and resources conservation. Notices to sue were sent to local chief executives of various Local Government Units.

Improvements  had been few and snail-paced, except perhaps  in the award-winning Barangay Luz where the “Kwarta sa Basura” changed lives and empowered  residents. Mention must also be made of the outstanding performance of San Francisco, Camotes Island. Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama has also begun to  institute a strict “no-segregation, no-collection”  policy.

Proper management of solid waste, just like any other program,  will not be sustainable without mobilizing public participation. The enforcers, regulatory agencies and stakeholders must understand  what the law aims to achieve and work together in a spirit of collaboration.

RA 9003 seeks  to instill a mindset of waste minimization and sustainable consumption and production among stakeholders. It requires each citizen, including public officials and the members of the business community, to be conscious of one’s impact on the environment and respect the health and environmental rights of other people.

The law was also intended to address the global challenge of climate change. Open dumpsites, landfills and agricultural farms produce methane, a deadly polluting green house gas, which  causes climate change.  Reducing its emission would certainly help minimize its deadly effects  which we are now experiencing.

Open burning is likewise prohibited by RA 9003 as burning has health and environment impact, emits carbon and other toxic  climate change–causing green house gases. But it is still practiced.

The primary responsibility in the implementation of waste segregation and disposal at source is lodged with the LGUs. This is in accord with the Local Government Code which devolves the delivery of health, sanitation and environmental protection services to the hands of local government officials.

At the national level, the National Solid Waste Management Commission is mandated, among other functions,  to supervise what the SWM boards are doing and craft policies such as listing the non-environmentally acceptable products (still not done) and adoption of the National Framework Plan for the Informal Waste Sectors, now available online.

Citizens are guaranteed the use of the legal tool to demand compliance of the government’s responsibilities through citizens suit and the anti  strategic legal action on public participation (SLAPP) provisions.  But, one can count by the fingers and toes the constituents who have boldly called the public officials to action.

The successful implementation of the law and, perhaps, an increasing  number of citizens who assert their rights are within reach only if the following roadblocks are removed:

1. The false sense of entitlement of the local political authorities, which the President called the “wangwang mentality,” does not make them squirm in the face of their  utter  failure to enforce  the provisions of RA 9003 and other anti-pollution laws. Power tripping is the name of their game.

2. Ignorance, whether genuine or feigned, of  the local elective and appointive officials on their responsibilities under the law. There are still barangay officials  who are “clueless” on their mandate to ensure segregation of the biodegrables and recyclables at the household and office level. There is almost nil supervision by the higher authorities because of political affiliations.

3. Failure to integrate environmental education in the curriculum, whether formal or informal. This accounts for the citizen’s lack of information about and understanding of the importance of segregation, waste reduction and attaining a sustainable lifestyle. More universities and schools have to green their premises to make their campuses the ideal laboratory for greener living.

4. Lethargic support and supervision by  national agencies such as the Environment and Local Government departments over the LGUs. Why is the DENR allowing the continued operation of open dumpsites, which are illegal, nationwide?  Why is the DILG not filing cases against local chief executives who are obviously remiss in their duties? Are the regional officials scared of the politicos in their areas?

5. The Office of the Ombudsman was sleeping on the administrative and criminal cases lodged against non-performing public officials and agencies. Hopefully, with the assumption of office of the new Ombudsman, the trust of the people in the institution will be restored.

6. Failure to integrate sustainability in the operations  and policies on the part of the business sector except for a few such as Cebu Holdings, Inc.

7. Instilling strong values of responsibility and discipline in the homes.

RA 9003, if implemented, would even allow us to  attain our commitments under the Millennium Development Goals of reducing poverty and promoting ecological sustainability.

It is never too late not to wallow in waste.

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“Why should we stop the building of flyovers?” Listen to  and participate in Permaculture Cebu’s timely educational forum tomorrow, Sept. 6 at 1:30 p.m. Venue is at West Gorordo Conference Hotel. Call 231-4347 for directions and details.