By MERLINDA A. PEDROSA

The Bacolod City Legal Office (CLO) said Victorias City government’s request to temporarily dispose of its residual waste at the city’s sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa is allowed “under the law” as the initiative has been approved by the Bacolod Solid Waste Management Board.

“It’s okay. The city can enter into an interlocal cooperation agreement,” CLO head Karol Joseph Chiu said.

Victorias had earlier requested permission to dispose of around 30 cubic meters of residual waste per month at the Bacolod sanitary landfill for one year while waiting for the construction of its own landfill.

Chui said the request had already been forwarded to the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) for approval.

Once it is approved, Chiu said Victorias will have no obligation to pay, as the arrangement will be free of charge.

He said the city’s sanitary landfill has the capacity to accommodate residual waste from Victorias.

Moreover, Councilor Homer Bais, chairperson of the SP committee on environment, said they had already received Victorias’ request and referred it to the council’s committee on laws.

He said they will discuss the provisions of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) to determine whether Bacolod has the capacity to accommodate the residual waste.

A public consultation should also be conducted, he said.

The committee will also request a report from the Bacolod Environment and Natural Resources Office before the MOA is signed.

Bais disclosed that some local government units on Negros Island are already engaged in interlocal cooperation for their solid waste management programs./MAP, WDJ