CONCERNED citizens yesterday trooped to city hall and staged a demonstration in an effort to pressure the city council to cooperate and help in the full implementation of the city’s Solid Waste Management Program.
Some 500 members of civil society groups went to city hall in response to a call made by Archbishop Antonio Ledesma for the city council to approve a proposed budget so city hall could address the problem on the city dump which has been posing threats to public health and the environment.
The demonstrators however failed to bring their concerns to the city council’s attention because Vice Mayor Caesar Ian Acenas declared a recess because of the blackout and because local legislators wanted to watch the last State-of-the-Nation Address (Sona) of President Aquino.
“Natingala ko kay pag-abot nako sa session hall, dismissed na man ang session,” said Councilor Roger Abaday.
Abaday said he suspected Acenas’s decision was meant to avoid a confrontation with demonstrators.
He noted that Acenas did not respond to calls for a dialogue on the garbage problem by Xavier University Fr. Roberto Yap.
Councilor Leon Gan called the demonstration “premature,” adding that the civil society group members should first seek an audience with the city council “before they resort to such, otherwise, they [would be] misled or used for [partisan] politics.”
Businessman Tito Mora and academic Ermin Pimentel of Xavier University said the demonstrators want the full implementation of Republic Act 9003. That means, they said, that the present city sanitary landfill, which already exceeded its capacity, should be closed down.
Demonstrators also called on city hall implement waste segregation in the city.(nitz arancon)
Disclaimer
Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.
