Iligan City Mayor Celso Regencia. (Photo by Lady Jean Kabagani/PIA ICCC)
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By Nora Soriño
Iligan City Bureau Chief
and Sita Asequia
Correspondent

Iligan City — Jose Pantoja, City Information Officer told media in an interview last Friday that Cty Mayor Celso Regencia was in Manila as he was summoned by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources regarding the issues and concerns of the CMRF at Bonbonon, this city.

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Pantoja added though that steps were being made by the city to address the situation at the said Central Materials Recovery Facility at said place and the central office of the DENR had agreed to it.

This was an offshoot of the visit of the Regional Director of the Environment Management Bureau in late November on account of concerns of the environment, especially on the CMRF.    

Pantoja then said Region 10 Director Reynaldo Digamo talked with the city mayor on the CMRF issue.    

To note, the facility at Bangko, Bonbonon, an upland barangay in this city is located more than five kilometers away from the city. Pantoja then admitted that leaches coming from the said facility pour into the Dodiongan River below making the waters murky with some residents complaining of skin diseases after bathing on said river.

He then blamed the previous administration of former Mayor Lawrence Cruz who had built the facility from a loan of P238 million and which the city is “very burdened” in paying.

To note too, the facility is not meant for an open dumpsite for the city’s garbage but the machines which at one time were envisioned to be “world-class” soon choked with tons and tons of unsegregated garbage, thus making the area in time, an open dumpsite.

Pantoja then added that with segregations now being done, the situation might improve. Asked about the “accidents” whereby garbage persons were injured in going to said facility even as two died in the process, Pantoja again took a dig at the Cruz administration saying the amount of P238 m included the cementing of the road leading to it.

In one of the recent speeches of Vice Mayor Jemar Vera Cruz explaining the non-appearance of Regencia in a gathering regarding peace, he too said that the mayor is “stressed” on the matter of said facility as he had to answer some summons called by Manila.

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