Greenpeace Water Patrol ‘closes’ Angono waste dump

MANILA, Philippines — Dismayed by the alleged inaction of local government officials, Greenpeace Water Patrol activists on Friday “closed" a waste dump in Angono, Rizal, which has encroached on the shores of Laguna Lake. The activists, who wore orange cover-alls, blockaded the entrance of the dump with steel scaffolding to prevent garbage trucks from entering. They also posted a sign with the notice: “Laguna Lake Dumpsite CLOSED." “Greenpeace Water Patrol is taking action by closing down this waste dump. This mound of garbage clearly pollutes Laguna Lake. But the Angono local government, instead of cleaning it up as they promised, is allowing refuse to continue to pile up and pollute the waters," Greenpeace Southeast Asia Toxics Campaigner Beau Baconguis said in a stratement. “There should never have been a dump site here in the first place, and there should be no more excuses about cleaning it up immediately," she said, noting that dump sites are illegal under the Ecological Waste Management Act (RA 9003). She said the Angono dumpsite, located on the banks of Laguna Lake, “additionally blatantly violates the Clean Water Act (RA 9275)." In a phone interview, Greenpeace media campaigner Lea Guerrero told GMANews.TV that the activists were still at the entrance of the dumpsite as of noontime. She said the blockaders wanted Angono Mayor Aurora Villamayor to come and see for herself the effects of the continued dumping of the municipality’s refuse into the lake but she sent a representative instead. “We hope to meet with her just the same to talk about her commitment," said Guerrero, referring to Villamayor’s promise during a dialogue last April to carry out rehabilitation efforts. The Greenpeace statement said that when Greenpeace Water Patrol first called attention to how waste dumps such as those in Angono are contributing to the pollution load of one of the country’s most important freshwater bodies, Mayor Aurora Villamayor met with Greenpeace and EcoWaste Coalition and promised to clear the dumpsite and close it within six months. “But Water Patrol monitoring revealed that no rehabilitation measures were being instituted, and instead the garbage mounds have become much bigger," the statement lamented. Greenpeace said more than 16 million people rely on Laguna Lake for food, water and livelihood, but its water quality is severely compromised by pollution. According to the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), a total of 18 dumpsites, of which four are located on the lake’s banks, are part of the problem. Although the LLDA has asked the concerned local government units to implement the Ecological Waste Management Act the dumps continue to pollute the lake. Toxic leachate from the garbage dumps are expected to ooze into the lake for years to come, even after the dumps are successfully closed. “By continuing to treat Laguna Lake as a rubbish bin, it is obvious that the local government of Angono lacks sincerity and political will to protect their own water resources. The dumpsite is in full operation despite common knowledge that it is violating environmental laws and polluting the lake. The DENR must close down this dump and others like it without delay, and immediately order a rehabilitation of the sites to prevent further pollution in the lake," said Baconguis. Greenpeace is an independent, global campaigning organization that acts to change attitudes and behavior, to protect and conserve the environment, and to promote peace. It has also conducted similar protest actions against indiscriminate mining activities, including the alleged dumping of mine wastes in the Bicol region, and the planting of genetically modified corn in Mindoro. - GMANews.TV