Mayor Fights Bad Publicity
Tagbilaran Mayor Dan Lim yesterday said he will not be intimidated by bad publicity in pursuing the solution to the drainage problem.
Lim said that he will not give in to the pressures from media critics to cut 38 illegal connections.
“There are incorrigible sectors of the media who insist on what they want for the city,” he disclosed.
He pointed out that based on the assessment of Engr. Cecil Corloncito, the city environmental consultant, the 38 connections represent less than one percent of the total water pollution of the city and therefore makes a negligible contribution to the volume of water flooding that the city often experience.
“What are their credentials as far as environmental matters are concerned? Why should the city be held hostage by their thirst for the blood of the 38 connections?” the mayor declared.
The mayor said that just because his critics do not understand new technology does not mean it cannot be done.
“The problem is that they cannot understand the intricacies of the new technology because they do not know anything about anti-pollution methods in the first place,” he added.
He noted that he had issued a challenge for an open debate on the controversy to his critics but this has not been accepted.
Lim said the disconnection of the 38 would result not only in significant economic dislocation that would cause unemployment and a reduction of the city’s tax revenues.
More importantly, the mayor said that left to their own devices, the owners of the affected connections would not be able to solve the problem by themselves.
He said that requiring the concerned connectors to build their own treatment plants is not economically feasible and would also defeat the purpose of the plan to build a centralized wastewater treatment plant.
“If the problem of their disposal is not attended to, then the problem will continue,” the mayor noted.
At the same time, the mayor said that there have been no inspection and laboratory analyses by the Environmental Management Bureau in Region 7 to determine if the 38 have really violated the Clean Water Act’s effluent standards.
“We need to verify this before we can take appropriate action against them,” said Lim, a lawyer.
The mayor said that under the centralized wastewater treatment plant, the city will pursue the conversion of the drainage system into a combined storm and sewer system to address the non-point sources of wastewater pollution.
“We need to look at sustainable development by striking a balance between environmental protection and the growth of the city,” he added.
Lim said that the situation in Tagbilaran is different from other local government units and revealed that Tagbilaran is among the few local governments that have placed emphasis on pollution control.
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