Dumpsite case due to bickerings, says Rufus

By Nitz Arancon

REP. Rufus Rodriguez of the city’s 2nd District said the case filed against Mayor Oscar Moreno, Vice Mayor Caesar Ian Acenas, and councilors over city hall’s failure to close down the city dump and to open a new one should serve as a lesson to all.

Rodriguez said the case filed by National Solid Waste Management Commissioner Romeo Hidalgo against the local officials highlighted the problem on political bickerings between the executive and legislative branches of the local government.

Hidalgo pressed charges against the city hall officials before the Office of the Ombudsman, accusing them  of conspiring to violate the law on the disposal of solid wastes by not closing down the  sanitary landfill in upper Carmen.

Hidalgo accused Moreno, Acenas, all councilors, and Clenro chief Edwin Dael for violation of RA 9003. and also asked the ombudsman to suspend them all.

Rodriguez said partisan politics got in the way of public service, and the disunity among politicians in city hall have affected the entire city.

“The problem is, the mayor is not able to reach out to the city council, and the city council does not want to support the mayor,” said Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez said city hall doesn’t need to look for a site for a new sanitary landfill, pointing out that there is already an approved area by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The area is in Sitio Pamahile, Barangay Pagatpat, he said.

Rodriguez said city hall bought the property during the Emano administration.

He said he doubts claims made by city hall that the area failed in a DENR evaluation because “it was already approved a long time ago.”

Mayor Moreno, for his part, said he welcomed the case filed against him and other local officials, saying it was actually “good news” to him.

Moreno said the case would pressure Vice Mayor Acenas and councilors to support his proposed waste management program.

“Akong gi-welcome kini nga kaso, bisan nadalahig ako niini. Hina-ot pa unta nga pina-agi niini nga kaso, mosuporta na ang city council sa atong pag-close ni-anang atong dumpsite… Ang pag-sera nia-ang atong  basurahan ug ang paghimo ug bag-ong sanitary landfill,  nagkinahanglan sa appropriation,” Moreno said.

Councilors Roger Abaday, Teodulfo Lao Jr., and Enrico Salcedo blamed the Hildalgo case on Padayon Pilipino legislators.

“We have the record that we supported the proposed rehabilitation and transfer of the sanitary landfill to Pagatpat. We were also for the approval of the budget. But the ‘violet block’ (Padayon Pilipino) disapproved it,” Abaday said. (nitz arancon)