There are a lot of arguments for and against the reopening of the Inayawan landfill, but the strongest and most visible comes from the people affected by the resumption of its operations.
The photo of students wearing surgical masks to protect themselves from the overpowering stench coming from the landfill is a grim reminder to the powers that be about the danger posed to their health and the health of those living and working near the reopened landfill.
There were businesses that reportedly lost 60 to 70 percent of their income because of the stench which drew the attention of Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino who said he will meet with Mayor Tomas Osmeña on this.
Whether one is for or against the reopening of the Inayawan landfill, either side cannot argue against nor compromise on public welfare which at present weighs heavily against the continued operation of the landfill.
The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) said it had already warned Cebu City Hall to come out with an explanation and justification for the reopening of the landfill, or else they will close it.
The question is, where will the Cebu City government dump the city’s garbage? There is merit to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s argument againstspending P20 million to dump the garbage elsewhere like in Consolacion town, where the city spends not only on the tipping fees but also on the maintenance, fuel costs and the repairs of broken down garbage trucks.
But what is P20 million a month for the safety, comfort and convenience of the affected residents’ rights? It’s not as if there were no mitigation measures that were proposed to reduce or outright eliminate the stench and the flies that feast on the improperly disposed garbage.
The mayor accused the City Council dominated by his critics of not approving their plan to cover the garbage with limestone which would offset the smell, a measure that the EMB raised in their evaluation of the landfill after their recent inspection of the site.
The Team Rama council bloc denied this and claimed that the mayor didn’t send a representative to discuss the plan with them. And while both sides are engaged in a verbal tussle, trading accusations against each other, the students, the residents and business continue to suffer.
Since he chose to reopen the landfill site to cut costs, it is now up to the mayor to justify his insistence in having it continue to operate.
It’s not enough for the Team Rama bloc to play the critic and castigate the mayor, it’s also up to them to provide alternative viable solutions for the city’s mounting garbage problem. After closing the landfill, if and when that happens, then what’s next?
Do we want to see mountains of uncollected garbage in the city streets? Are we willing to throw money in order to solve this problem? Indeed what are the alternatives?