“The accumulation of waste could lead to soil and groundwater contamination due to the leakage of harmful substances. In addition, the health of the local community is at risk,” COA says in its citizen participatory audit report.

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the Gapan City government for allowing a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) to be used as an open dump, raising public health concerns.

In a Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA) report released on November 6, the COA said the MRF in Barangay Pambuan was only meant to be a transfer station for sorting recyclable and compostable materials and that residual waste should be brought to a sanatorium. the garbage dump.

“The city’s Central Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) appears to have deviated from its intended purpose and appears to have become an open dump due to the accumulation of waste for several months, posing the risk of environmental degradation and potential hazards to health,” said the audit team.

Based on an on-site inspection of MRFs in the city’s 23 barangays, the facilities reflected only token compliance with the Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 or Republic Act 9003.

MRFs were just small metal cages that were marked for bottles, cans and plastic. The containers were placed either in narrow alleys or near the barangay hall with no space to allow access for delivery trucks.

State auditors cited Section 25 of RA 9003 which prohibits the storage of solid waste for more than 24 hours and Section 37 which penalizes the operation of an illegal dump.

“The accumulation of waste could lead to soil and groundwater contamination due to the leaching of harmful substances. In addition, the health of the local community is at risk. The accumulation of waste can produce unpleasant odors and release harmful gases such as methane, which can contribute to air pollution and respiratory problems,” COA said.

A copy of the audit report was submitted to the office of Gapan Mayor Emy Joy Pascual on September 26, 2024.

The city government admitted that budget problems prevented the timely transportation of garbage from MRFs. From 2021 to 2023, Gapan spent 63.86 million lei on transport and dump truck: 20.575 million lei in 2021, 21.012 million lei in 2022 and 23.274 million lei in 2023.

Gapan City’s Acting City Environment and Natural Resources Officer (CENRO) informed the audit team that the city government signed a transport and tipping contract with MetroWaste Solid Waste Management Corporation only last year. This is partly due to the inability of the city government to establish its own sanitary landfill.

In response to the audit findings, the city of Gapan undertook to clean up the accumulated garbage at the central MRF, as well as to conduct a cost-benefit analysis on the purchase of its own garbage trucks to reduce sanitation expenses.

He also assured the COA that the existing MRFs of the village would be shifted to a more accessible location and modified to serve as composting and transfer stations.

Audit team members include four COA employees led by State Auditor V Lolita Escuadro. They were supported by five members of the Knights of the Divine Shepherd as civil society partners. – Rappler.com