San Mateo stunned by MMDA garbage disposal decision

San Mateo Mayor Bartolome Rivera Jr. in Rizal was caught off guard by the plan of the Manila city government and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to use the town's landfill for garbage disposal.

- By GHIO ONG

In a statement written entirely in Filipino on Aug. 27, Rivera said the municipal government was "surprised" to learn that the MMDA and Manila decided to dispose the city's garbage in the new San Mateo sanitary landfill.

"There was no consultation or advance notice to our local government," Rivera said.

He added that the local government would appeal to the MMDA to reconsider the decision.

Rivera stressed that the additional volume of waste from Manila could "fill up the capacity of the landfill more quickly, cause heavier vehicular traffic and endanger the health and safety of the people of San Mateo."

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno announced on Aug. 26 that the MMDA ordered the city government to divert its garbage disposal to San Mateo from the Navotas sanitary landfill, which was shut down.