The Philippine Councilors League in Central Visayas is contemplating to pass a resolution seeking an extension of the deadline set by law for the establishment of sanitary landfills among local government units.

At a press briefing before their three-day regional conference in Dumaguete City that started yesterday, the officers of the league headed by Roel de Gamo said, acquiring a sanitary landfill requires a huge amount of money.

Cindy Uy, a member of the Sangguniang Bayan of Manjuyod town, Oriental Negros said her LGU was able to purchase a lot, but did not meet the requirements set by the Department Environment and Natural Resources for the creation of a sanitary landfill.

She urged the DENR to look for suitable lots in coordination with the LGUs.

The situation in Bohol is more problematic than in Oriental Negros, SB Member Dorris Obena, PCL regional secretary, said.

She said most areas in Bohol are porous, despite the presence of so many caves.

Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Jun Cabrido, meanwhile, said reports of non-compliance by LGUs were submitted to their national office, but it does not mean the immediate filing of cases against the local governments.

He said everything has to undergo a process, in coordination with the Solid Waste Management Council.

Cabrido also said he does not agree that the DENR should be blamed for the non-compliance of LGUs, adding that the law has been existing for the past six years.

Every year, LGUs are reminded of the deadline during the implementation of the clean and green program, he said.*JG

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