Bataan, Albay mayors face raps over open dumpsite operations

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CRIMINAL complaints were filed before the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday against former Limay, Bataan mayor Lilver Roque; Tabaco City, Albay mayor Cielo Krisel Lagman-Luistro, and other local officials over alleged violations of RA No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) said the two mayors ignored previous recommendations to comply with the law governing proper disposal of garbage.

In the case of Limay, DENR-NSWMC commissioner Romeo Hidalgo said the municipal government did not build a waste management facility after the closure of its previous open dumpsite in Sitio Mamala, Barangay St. Francis I but simply opened another dumpsite in Barangay Alangan.

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Aside from Roque, also named respondents were Municipal Planning and Development Officer Romario Panangui, Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer Randy Cacho, and General Services Office chief Danilo Quinto.

Hidalgo stressed that his office is determined to enforce the law to protect public health.

“This complaint is instituted to show to everyone that the NSWMC is serious in its role of seeing to it that local government officials comply with RA 9003,” he said.

On the other hand, the complainant noted that Mayor Luistro has been previously named in a complaint filed in 2017 with the Ombudsman involving the same violation.

It said DENR personnel verified the existence of “temporary residual containment area” being used as an open dumpsite in Barangay San Vicente, Tabaco City.

Named Luistro’s co-respondent was City Environment and Natural Resources Officer Reynold Martirez.

Pending resolution of both complaints, Hidalgo asked the Ombudsman to place respondent public officials under preventive suspension.

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