BACOLOD CITY — Another 100 local government units (LGUs) are expected to be charged by the Office of the Environmental Ombudsman this year for violating the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
“We are serious. We have filed and we will continue to file charges against erring local chief executives,” Crispin Lao, commissioner and vice chair of the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) said Tuesday.
Lao said these LGUs have failed to stop the operation of open and controlled dumpsites already closed in 2006, as required by the solid waste management act or Republic Act No. 9003.
He said that in the second batch of LGU violators, charges will be filed not only against the erring mayors but the environment officers and other local officials, as well.
The NSWMC had filed charges against 50 mayors for violating RA 9003.
The commission, which is under the Office of the President, oversees and ensures the implementation of the law, and carries out training and education.
“The second batch of 100 is undergoing evaluation. If (their violations are) proven, charges will be filed against the local chief executives,” he added.
Lao said that for LGUs, the bigger challenge is how to ensure that solid waste management programs are put in place, and how to encourage citizens and establishments to carry them out.
The only way we can sustain the programs is to get the community involved, he said.
The media is also a critical component in getting the people to act, he said on the sidelines of the three-day First Regional Training-Workshop on Measuring and Mitigating Short-lived Climate Pollutants from the Municipal Solid Waste Sector held at the O Hotel in this city.
Lao, however, acknowledged that it takes political will to enforce any form of penalty, especially during the election period.
“At the end of the day, you’re apprehending your constituents,” he said.
Lao said that local chief executives should take the “carrot and stick” approach by granting incentives to compliant constituents while penalizing violators.
Participants from various Southeast Asian countries attended the workshop, which began Monday. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
