By MERLINDA A. PEDROSA
The proposed memorandum of agreement (MOA) to allow Victorias City to temporarily dispose of its residual waste at the sanitary landfill in Bacolod City’s Barangay Felisa should proceed only if the Bacolodnons support and accept it, Councilor Wilson Gamboa said yesterday.
Gamboa said the legality of the Bacolod Solid Waste Management Board’s (BSWMB) decision and the Bacolod City Legal Office’s legal opinion on the disposal agreement deserve to be respected.
“Decisions must be anchored on social acceptability and the collective will of the people,” he 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.
Gamboa said that decisions and what is legally allowed under the Local Government Code and existing laws governing interlocal cooperation are “not the only fundamental and all-encompassing determinants of sound policy that reflect the will of the people.”
He noted that many city residents expressed rejection of the proposal through online platforms.
The councilor said the Bacolodnons are concerned about the actual capacity and lifespan of the city’s sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa.
They recalled the long-standing challenges in daily waste collection and disposal at a facility that, according to critics, may have fallen short of the standards of a true sanitary landfill.
“The people of Bacolod are deeply concerned about the environmental costs and repercussions of the sudden increase in waste volume by an average of one cubic meter per day, as well as the broader policy issue of transforming Bacolod City into a disposal site for a neighboring local government unit based solely on a board decision and legal grounds,” he said.
‘They want to be heard’
He added that Bacolodnons are also raising their voices against an agreement that has not undergone a complete and thorough public hearing.
“They want to be heard. They demand that their public officials go beyond legal compliance and heed their voices. Indeed, the voices of the people of Bacolod carry far greater weight than legal technicalities,” Gamboa said.
Chiu earlier said that 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 BSWMB.
“It’s okay. The city can enter into an interlocal cooperation agreement,” Chiu said.
Meanwhile, Councilor Al Victor Espino said they have already received Victorias City’s request, and it is now under review by the SP.
He said the council will examine the technical aspects of the contract.
“We need to examine the technical aspects because the Sangguniang Panlungsod is not a technical body. We will ask the BSWMB to brief the committee and the SP to address the technical questions,” he said.
Espino explained that the BSWMB is the technical body that can provide the SP with the necessary information./MAP, WDJ