BEFORE THE FACE-OFF. Mayoral candidates Rufus Rodriguez, Oscar Moreno and Vicente Emano sit beside each other as they wait for their turn to debate before a crowd of about 4,000 at the Atrium of Limketkai mall on Thursday night. (PHOTO BY NITZ ARANCON)
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By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

REELECTIONIST Mayor Oscar Moreno’s two challengers on Thursday took turns in criticizing city hall over its refusal to develop a Pagatpat property into a new sanitary landfill, pointing out that local government officials are risking conviction for violation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Law.

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Moreno however countered that the Pagatpat property is not suitable for a city dump.

National Solid Waste Management Commissioner Romeo Hidalgo earlier filed charges against local officials before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly 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 City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office chief Edwin Dael for violation of RA 9003. He asked the ombudsman to suspend all the officials.

Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of the 2nd District, one of the mayoral candidates, said during the “Final Debate 2016” at Limketkai mall that he would transfer the sanitary landfill from Carmen to Sitio Pamalihi in Barangay Pagatpat if he wins an election.

He criticized the Moreno administration, saying there was no need for city hall to look for another area for a new dumpsite because the local government bought the Pagatpat property for that purpose when Emano was mayor.

“You don’t have to spend millions of pesos to look for another site because you can pursue what has been approved by the DENR-EMB (Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau). All we have to do is to develop the area [in Pagatpat],” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said faulted the political bickerings between Moreno and the city council members. As a result, he said, Moreno, Vice Mayor Caesar Ian Acenas, and councilors have been sued.

“Nagsige ra man og away mao nga walay nahimo nga plano diha sa konseho sa problema sa basura sa syudad,” he said.

Rodriguez said that if elected, his administration would get rid of garbage collection contractors, and tap the barangays.

Former mayor Vicente Emano, another Moreno challenger, said he would have transferred the sanitary landfill to Pagatpat had not Moreno replaced him in 2013.

Emano said the city council, during his administration, set aside funds for the Pagatpat landfill project but Moreno discontinued this in 2013.

“Sayon ra man unta kadto kay ipanghulog ang basura sa pangpang ayha dayun tabunan,” he said.

Moreno however told his challengers that environmental experts have advised city hall against developing the Pagatpat property into a sanitary landfill. He said the property that was bought during the Emano administration is considered hazardous and not suitable for a landfill site.

He said the Emano administration bought the property without seeking expert advise, an allegation denied by the ex-mayor.

Moreno also pointed out that the Pagatpat property is sloping.

“Unsaon man lugar nimo ang Pagatpat nga bakilid man kaayo?” he asked rhetorically.

Moreno said city hall has set its eyes a property in Barangay Tignapoloan as a possible site for the city dump.

The present city dump covers 17 hectares, and city hall said it was designed to hold 1.8 million cubic meters of garbage. But today, the dumpsite has at least four million cubic meters of trash.

City hall’s quick fix plan is to close down four hectares of the dumpsite for rehabilitation. The garbage would be compacted and pipes for methane gas would be installed. It would also undergo leeching and contouring to conform with standards for a sanitary landfill.

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