MANILA, Philippines — Residents of Obando in Bulacan vowed Wednesday to ensure environmental safety in their town by standing firm on their opposition to a proposed 44-hectare sanitary landfill in Barangay Salambao, Obando purportedly due to its “highly questionable construction.”

A petition was filed by the residents before the Supreme Court (SC) to order the Bulacan Governor Wilhelmino M. Sy Alvarado to stop the proposed project.

Led by Maria Teresa Bondoc, Wilfredo de Ocampo, Conrado and Macaria Lumabas, Melissa Padilla and Lucila Sayao, the Obando residents warned that, among others, “the landfill poses a serious threat to the health of Obando residents and nearby towns along the Manila Bay.”

They pointed out that “the landfill, the pits of which will be on Manila Bay itself and will be built on reclaimed land, will also threaten their main livelihood — fishing.”

The residents said they had personally aired their concerns to Alvarado in a dialogue last June 21.

“But the following day, Alvarado paved the way for the construction of the landfill by approving the reclassification of the land of the project site,” they noted.

The Obando residents alleged that the landfill involves the large-scale dumping of unprocessed garbage into the coastal waters of Obando along Manila Bay.

“But the contractor itself, Ecoshield Development Corporation (EDC), admitted that dumping and transit of garbage will cause contamination and degradation of fresh water quality,” the residents said.

They claimed that there was “no realistic public consultations were ever held that could have afforded them to air their concerns.”

Instead, the residents said “EDC sought to win their support by making house-to-house calls and promising lots and jobs in the proposed project.”

“We aired these concerns but surprisingly, Gov. Alvarado and other provincial and Obando officials still allowed the landfill,” they said.