San Mateo, Rizal Mayor Bartolome "Omie" Rivera Jr. slammed the directive of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) diverting the collected solid wastes of the city of Manila to its New San Mateo Sanitary Landfill (NSMSLF) following the permanent closure of the Navotas Sanitary Landfill on Aug. 26.

Rivera issued the statement on Aug. 27 after Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso announced that the city's garbage will now be sent to NSMSLF, as ordered by the MMDA.

According to Rivera, the town was caught off guard by Domagoso's announcement and the MMDA's directive, saying that the agency did not properly consult him and the local government unit (LGU) of San Mateo regarding the matter.

"Ang hakbang na iyan ay walang naging konsultasyon o paunang abiso man lamang sa ating lokal na pamahalaan. Sa ating pagkakaintindi, ang landfill sa ating bayan ay naitayo noon bilang isang alternatibong tambakan ng basura, sakaling mahinto ng operasyon ang landfill sa Montalban. Hindi ito nakadisenyo para tanggapin ang malalaking volume ng basura mula sa mga malalaking siyudad ng Metro Manila. Kaya kung matutuloy ang plano na dalhin sa ating bayan ang lahat ng basura ng Metro Manila, nangangamba tayo na dagliang mapupuno ang kapasidad ng landfill, lalo pang bibigat ang daloy ng trapiko, at tataas ang banta sa kalusugan at kalitagsan ng ating mga mamamayan (This move was made without any consultation or prior notice to our local government. As we understand it, the landfill in our town was built as an alternative waste disposal site, in case the landfill in Montalban cease operations. It was not designed to receive the large volumes of waste from the major cities of Metro Manila. Therefore, if the plan to bring all the waste of Metro Manila to our town pushes through, we fear that the landfill will quickly reach its capacity, further increasing traffic congestion, and increasing threats to the health and safety of our citizens)," Rivera said.

The mayor added that while he acknowledges the MMDA's authority to manage Metro Manila's solid waste management, its directives should be aligned with the constitution, national environment laws, and the Local Government Code, stressing that proper coordination with other affected municipalities should have been made before issuing such orders.

"Hihingin natin sa MMDA na muling bigyang konsiderasyon ang kanilang desisyon ukol sa pagtatambak sa ating bayan at magkaroon ng pormal na pag-uusap at koordinasyon sa pagitan ng lokal na pamahalaan ng San Mateo at ng mga kinauukulang ahensya kaugnay sa mga magiging patakaran na may kinalaman sa pamamahala sa trapiko, pagmamantini ng tambakan, at pangangalaga sa kalusugan at kalinisan upang hindi ito magdulot ng perwisyo sa ating bayan sa darating na panahon (We will ask the MMDA to reconsider its decision regarding the disposal of Metro Manila's garbage in our town's landfill and to have formal discussions and coordination between the local government of San Mateo and the relevant agencies regarding future policies related to traffic management, landfill maintenance, and health and sanitation so that it does not cause harm to our town in the future)," he said.