{"id":1424,"date":"2008-04-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-04-20T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/master.k8s.p4.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/1424\/greenpeace-water-patrol-investigates-polluting-garbage-dump-in-laguna-lake\/"},"modified":"2019-11-06T17:05:18","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T09:05:18","slug":"greenpeace-water-patrol-investigates-polluting-garbage-dump-in-laguna-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/story\/1424\/greenpeace-water-patrol-investigates-polluting-garbage-dump-in-laguna-lake\/","title":{"rendered":"Greenpeace Water Patrol investigates polluting garbage dump in Laguna Lake"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calls for strict enforcement of waste laws to protect water sources<\/h2>\n
Greenpeace Water Patrol activists today investigated a dump site in Angono, Rizal which has taken over the banks of Laguna Lake, and called on the government for the strict enforcement of waste laws to protect the country\u2019s threatened freshwater sources.<\/div>\n
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\n

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Greenpeace Water Patrol activists in protective suits take a water sample taken from beside a dump site in Angono, Rizal Province, 30km east of Manila in the eve of Earth Day. The dump site is one of many which has taken over the banks of Laguna Lake, Southeast Asia\u2019s 2nd largest freshwater basin. Greenpeace is caling on the government to strictly enforce waste laws to protect the country\u2019s threatened freshwater sources, and is also reminding the public that waste dumped on land eventually ends up in the water that we use.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Greenpeace Water Patrol activists place a signpost with the words \u201cOur trash. Our water. Protect our water sources!\u201d after obtaining water samples from an illegal dump site in Angono, Rizal Province, 30km east of Manila in the eve of Earth Day. The dump site is one of many which has taken over the banks of Laguna Lake, Southeast Asia\u2019s 2nd largest freshwater basin. The activists are calling on the government for the strict enforcement of waste laws to protect the country\u2019s threatened freshwater sources, and are also reminding the public that waste dumped on land eventually ends up in the water that we use.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Greenpeace Water Patrol activists label a water sample taken from beside a dump site in Angono, Rizal Province, 30km east of Manila in the eve of Earth Day. The dump site is one of many which has taken over the banks of Laguna Lake, Southeast Asia\u2019s 2nd largest freshwater basin. Greenpeace is caling on the government to strictly enforce waste laws to protect the country\u2019s threatened freshwater sources, and is also reminding the public that waste dumped on land eventually ends up in the water that we use.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
Greenpeace Water Patrol activists in protective suits display a water sample taken from beside a dump site in Angono, Rizal Province, 30km east of Manila in the eve of Earth Day. The dump site is one of many which has taken over the banks of Laguna Lake, Southeast Asia\u2019s 2nd largest freshwater basin. Greenpeace is caling on the government to strictly enforce waste laws to protect the country\u2019s threatened freshwater sources, and is also reminding the public that waste dumped on land eventually ends up in the water that we use.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
A Greenpeace Water Patrol activist in protective suit displays a water sample taken from beside a dump site in Angono, Rizal Province, 30km east of Manila in the eve of Earth Day. The dump site is one of many which has taken over the banks of Laguna Lake, Southeast Asia\u2019s 2nd largest freshwater basin. Greenpeace is caling on the government to strictly enforce waste laws to protect the country\u2019s
\nthreatened freshwater sources, and is also reminding the public that waste dumped on land eventually ends up in the water that we use.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
A Greenpeace Water Patrol activist in protective suit tests the waters of Laguna Lake before taking a water sample beside a dump site in Angono, Rizal Province, 30km east of Manila in the eve of Earth Day. The dump site is one of many which has taken over the banks of Laguna Lake, Southeast Asia\u2019s 2nd largest freshwater basin. Greenpeace is caling on the government to strictly enforce waste laws to protect the country\u2019s threatened freshwater sources, and is also reminding the public that waste dumped on land eventually ends up in the water that we use.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

As part of the investigation, the activists procured water
\nsamples in the vicinity, and placed a signpost with the words \u201cOur
\ntrash. Our water. Protect our water sources!\u201d to also remind the
\npublic, in time for Earth Day tomorrow, that waste dumped on land
\neventually ends up in the water that we use.\u00a0 The theme for this
\nyear\u2019s Earth Day in the Philippines is water protection.<\/p>\n

\u201cIllegal, open dump sites have remapped the banks of Laguna
\nLake, creating reclaimed areas built on the filthy refuse of towns
\nand cities, and slowly killing one of the major freshwater bodies
\nin our country. How have we come to this?\u00a0 Clearly there is a
\nserious shortcoming in the government\u2019s enforcement of its own
\nenvironmental laws,\u201d\u00a0 said Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner Beau
\nBaconguis.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Greenpeace would also like to highlight this Earth Day that
\nthis should be a call to action for all Filipinos to adopt a more
\nresponsible attitude toward the waste they generate and dispose.
\nThrough the simple practice of responsible waste management at
\nhome, such as segregation and composting of organic waste, we can
\nbe part of the solution to the problem of garbage and water
\npollution.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) disclosed last
\nDecember that dumpsites in four municipalities-Paete and Bi\u00f1an,
\nLaguna, and Angono and Taytay, Rizal-are located close to Laguna
\nLake\u2019s shores. Meanwhile fourteen dumpsites various other nearby
\ntowns compound the lake\u2019s water pollution problem.\u00a0 Although the
\nLLDA has asked the concerned local government units to implement
\nthe Ecological Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003) the dumps
\ncontinue to pollute the lake.\u00a0 oxic leachate from the said garbage
\ndumps are expected to ooze into the lake for years to come, even
\nafter the dumps are successfully closed.<\/p>\n

The dumps in Angono and Taytay, in particular, occupy the lake\u2019s
\nwaters in blatant violation of the Clean Water Act of 2004 (RA
\n9275), and RA 9003.\u00a0 The Angono dumpsite was supposedly declared
\nclosed by Mayor Aurora Villamayor last January 2008, but Greenpeace
\nWater Patrol investigations encountered garbage trucks delivering
\nfresh garbage to the site just a week ago.\u00a0 The Taytay dumpsite, on
\nthe other hand, is still fully operational.<\/p>\n

Laguna Lake, also known as Laguna de Bay, is the country\u2019s
\nlargest lake, and the 2nd largest freshwater basin in Southeast
\nAsia.\u00a0 It is being eyed as a potential source of potable water for
\nMetro Manila.\u00a0 However, according to the LLDA, the lake is in
\ndanger of dying in five years if no steps are taken to improve its
\nfast deteriorating water quality.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cGreenpeace would also like to highlight this Earth Day that
\nthis should be a call to action for all Filipinos to adopt a more
\nresponsible attitude toward the waste they generate and
\ndispose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beau Baconguis<\/p>\n

Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cStarting with the Angono dumpsite, Greenpeace is taking samples
\nof water within the lake as part of our larger campaign, Project
\nClean Water, launched last October 2007.\u00a0 The project aims to bring
\npeople together toward a common goal of safeguarding our water
\nsources.\u00a0 We intend to examine and expose the pollution levels of
\nvarious freshwater sources around the country. Through this, we
\nhope to catalyze much-needed action to reverse the continuing
\ndecline of our water resources,\u201d said Baconguis.\u00a0 Greenpeace
\nexpects to release the partial results of its investigations later
\nthis year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Get involved!<\/h3>\n

Join our water patrol community!<\/a><\/p>\n

Support us!<\/h3>\n

Our vision of a better future is only as strong as the people who support us. By joining Greenpeace today, you add your voice to the movement that\u2019s committed to defending our planet.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\n\tGreenpeace Water Patrol activists today investigated a dump site in Angono, Rizal which has taken over the banks of Laguna Lake, and called on the government for the strict enforcement of waste laws to protect the country\u2019s threatened freshwater sources.\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":1425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[17],"p4-page-type":[16],"class_list":["post-1424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sustainability","tag-pollution","p4-page-type-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1424"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2536,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1424\/revisions\/2536"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1424"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=1424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}