MONTEJO
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Isabelo Montejo disclosed that a team from the Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas (EMB-7) has been sent to the South Road Properties (SRP) to check on the garbage “ transfer station “ now being used by the Cebu City government to store the city’s trash.
According to Montejo, the monitoring team is led by EMB-7’s chief legal officer Unalee Monares.
The so-called transfer station is actually a one hectare lot at the SRP which is being used by the city to temporarily store its garbage until a permanent dumping site can be identified.
The Court of Appeals, last week, ordered the permanent closure of the Inayawan landfill after it had found that the dumpsite violated environmental standards.
The “temporary transfer station” which is where the garbage is now being dumped is located near restaurants, condominium units, a university, and SM Seaside Cebu
” SRP is not designed for an open dumping site. SRP is for commercial and residential use. Let us look at the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for SRP” said Undersecretary Montejo in an interview on Monday.
According to Montejo, under Republic Act 9003, waste deposited in a transfer station should not exceed 24 hours.
If proven that the transfer station is operating more than 24 hours, Montejo said, it is illegal dumping.
“It will damage the air in the area if it exceeds 24 hours,” Montejo said.