Antique province’s sole sanitary landfill in San Jose de Buenavista is already fully operational, in time for the order of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to close all open dumpsites this month.
“We have already closed our open dumpsite in Barangay Pantao,” Mayor Elmer Untaran said, adding that since last January they have already been using the sanitary landfill for residual wastes.
The sanitary landfill, constructed in January 2020, through a P20-million fund from the office of Lone Antique Representative Loren Legarda, is also located in Barangay Pantao.
“Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has already directed the closure of all open dumpsites by the end of March.”
Untaran said he was glad about the functional sanitary landfill as Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has already directed the closure of all open dumpsites by the end of March.
Cimatu announced during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) in Barangay Maybato Sur recently that he directed Undersecretary Benny Antiporda for the closure of all open dumpsites last January.
“DENR would assist LGUs with no facility and can’t afford to put up one.”
The environment chief said the DENR would assist local government units (LGUs) with no such facility and could not afford to put up one during their transition mode “and for the eventual putting up of the sanitary landfill”.
The environment head is hopeful the LGUs would abide by the directive.
However, Untaran said that they could not accommodate waste from other municipalities.
The other 17 municipalities are still using open dumpsites.
“The residents of Pantao might not like that the waste of the other neighboring towns would be dumped in their barangay,” he concluded.