The provincial board of Benguet last week endorsed a resolution passed by the municipality of Tuba that called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to investigate the “continuous flow of garbage from the Irisan dumpsite in Baguio City to the Asin Road in Tadiangan, Tuba.”

“This has been a perennial problem for the community of Tadiangan,” said board member Eddie Amuasen, chairperson of the committee on environment.

“We have to endorse it because the City of Baguio has not acted on several requests of the Municipality of Tuba to put up preventive measures that would ensure that garbage does not spill over to the Asin Road,” he said.

The resolution is addressed to the Solid Waste Management Bureau of the DENR and the National Solid Waste Management Commission.

In its resolution, the municipal council of Tuba chaired by vice mayor Clarita Salongan called on both agencies not only to investigate the spillover but also to impose sanctions on the city government for its neglect and inaction.

Last year, Tadiangan residents joined Irisan residents in padlocking the Irisan dumpsite in protest to the overflow of garbage that spills into the road and nearby residences.

Municipal councilor Dick Balting said the problem is encountered during heavy rains beginning from Km 6 downwards to parts of Tadiangan. “Garbage and leaches coming from the dumping area flow to the road making travel risky and inconveniencing commuters,” he said. “The health of the residents continues to be endangered because of this.”

He said the problem dates back to the 1970s when municipal officials first requested the city to put up preventive measures.

“Up to this time, nothing has been done to the requests,” he said.

The municipal council expressed fear that the piles of garbage in Irisan will erode and bury the residents along Asin Road.
The barangay council of Tadiangan chaired by Zaldy Guileng stressed that despite the promises of City Hall to rehabilitate the dumpsite, “the problem of overflowing garbage has not been addressed.”

The barangay officials said the dump spillover has polluted some of their water sources, dirtied their surroundings, and polluted their rivers and creeks.