Meanwhile in her barrio: she cowers in fear

Timeline

The Sto. Domingo Municipal Dumpsite

Stupidity & Abuse

July 2001 – Butch Tadena’s first term as mayor. He requested help for the mounting garbage at the public market from Ernesto Tadeja. Tadeja volunteered his possession for temporary dumping to relieve and clean the public market where people from Sto. Tomas also buy.

2002 – Tadeja, through a family member wrote a letter inquiring from the mayor what are the future plans for the dumpsite. No definite reply, too many verbal promises.

November 2004 – The people of Sto. Tomas submitted a Petition for the closure of the Municipal Dumpsite due to a one-sided affair – to the detriment of their groundwater and threat to their health and safety. They proposed an option to continue but provide livelihood to the people of Sto. Tomas by converting biodegradable waste into organic fertilizer. No official acted.

Mid 2005 – a single human barricade finally made the former mayor Butch Tadena to conduct dialogue with the Barangay – with the presence of former vice mayor Bong Tobias, municipal engineer Zaldy Rosario, former MPDC Dario Tacad & barangay officials together with the Petitioner. The former mayor promised to abide by the legally prescribed requirements, probably referring to RA 9003. The LGU only distributed generic drugs for one time, bought a parcel of land in the barangay, and transferred the dumpsite nearer to the river.

-          To compensate for lack of any benefit, the punong barangay accepted hospital waste from the Metro Vigan Cooperative Hospital through Tomtom de Vera’s brother Dr. Jojo de Vera. It was rumoured that Tadeja was paid a monthly rental of P4,000 only. How much was Jojo De Vera earning can only be confirmed by the MVCH.

July 2011 – The Punong Barangay with a little help, started to look for possible ways to lessen the negative impact of the dumpsite to the barangay. He first approached Congressman Ryan Singson who immediately provided a project.  In the project proposal verifiable at the office of Cong Singson states: “The barangay is currently the Municipal dumpsite for more than 12 years now and has neither actual protection nor programs for it. Turning the biodegradable waste into organic fertilizer has been proposed in 2005 but the previous administration failed to act on the proposal. With a new Chief Executive Officer, it is hoped that the proposal will be reconsidered,” referring to the 2004 proposal.

August 2011 – The Punong barangay started verbal negotiation with the current administration for the possible development of the 2004 proposal.  Instead of helping, the LGU delayed the fund released by Cong. Singson in November 2011, issued only a notice to the barangay in 20 January 2012, and required “deed of donation of the forest land or MOA between the Barangay Gov’t & the forest land owner” (attached).

October 2011 – Adrian Madriaga, 6 yo drowned and his body lost for 3 days in the 20-30 feet deep dumpsite pit. All 3 of his companions nearly drowned as well.

November 2011 – The Petitioner reiterated the November 2004 Barangay Petition with a letter to the Mayor and SB. The LGU did not respond nor acknowledged the letter at all.

December 16 2011 – The case regarding the dumpsite against the administration of Sto. Domingo LGU was filed at the Ombudsman and pending decision.

February 2012 – a reliable source relayed a statement from the mayor to the Petitioner, “Ania ti kayat ta _ (Petitioner)? Intono kuwan, siak ti nagkutin,” ("what does she want? Sooner or later, I'd be the one to move..." when the mayor was relaying about the dialogue requested by Board Member Roberto Tudayan. The Petitioner was not convinced Amado Lito Tadena said that. "I found him to be more amicable & civilized than that."

2 March 2012 – A dialogue was conducted with Board Member Tudayan by Tadeja, the Petitioner, newly designated LGU ENRO Alex Dorate, and social worker Sesie de Vera. BM Tudayan was bewildered why there was no action at all by the LGU. De Vera insinuated the mayor doing the barangay a favor by closing the hospital dumpsite. The Petitioner forgot to ask if De Vera was aware how much her brother –in-law Jojo de Vera earned from the deal with the MVCH. (Overheard reliable sources snicker about underhanded monickers like Lee Majors and Limahong & said that they are sure pirates will not be had with any deal.)

23 March 2012 – Dialogue at the dumpsite.

Cowering in Fear,

The Petitioner