CONFRONTED with problems on where to bring the tons of garbage that have been piling up for weeks now, Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. ordered the opening of the Irisan dumpsite.

Bautista ordered the City Environment and Parks Management Office (Cepmo) to collect the piles of trash and dump it at the Irisan-controlled dumpsite.

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The order was made despite the absence of a go-ahead signal from the National Solid Waste Board, which is currently reviewing the city’s request to use the dumpsite again, in the absence of funds to sustain hauling operations.

In his weekly press briefing Friday, the mayor dared the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to sue him for ordering the use of the dumpsite even without the approval of the solid waste board.

Having spent millions for the construction of the retaining wall, the mayor said the city is entitled to use the dumpsite again. He said there is still space where garbage may be dumped because out of the seven-hectare property, only two hectares have been used. Squatters have encroached on the bigger portion.

He said dumping at the controlled dumpsite will continue until there are funds to haul out the city’s trash to Capas, Tarlac again.

The mayor also chided members of the council who voted against the allocation of additional funds to sustain two months worth of hauling.

A visibly irked mayor said some members of the council are stubborn in insisting that hauling should stop, when there are no other alternatives where to dump waste yet.

He added the council stepped on the toes of another government agency when it asked for an independent audit of the hauling expenses.

The mayor said only the Commission on Audit could scrutinize transactions of government entities.

Suspicion of irregularities committed during hauling was raised by some concerned sectors, some city officials as well as by the public.

But the mayor said all transactions of the Cepmo all went through the rigid procedures of the Government Procurement Act.

He said the City Council should likewise be audited for purchasing additional dump trucks in auction. “Dumaan ba sila sa [RA] 9184?” the mayor asked, adding that the quality of the trucks might not be reliable because these are reconditioned.

Meanwhile, amid reports of an impending barricade being planned by some residents of Asin, the mayor warned charges of contempt will be filed against those who will attempt to close the Irisan dumpsite again.

Since July 14, 2008, the dumpsite has been barricaded four times now.

He also warned that those planning to build houses there will be demolished, while those who have already built houses near the dumpsite were issued notices to vacate.