DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte and other local officials are set to face an official investigation for possible administrative lapses following an alleged order to dump a pile of garbage outside the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional office.
Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro revealed Tuesday that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla has committed to an inquiry to determine whether environmental laws were breached or if negligence occurred on the part of the city leadership.
The controversy stemmed from Friday when trash was allegedly left along the sidewalk fronting the DENR-11 office in Barangay Lanang, which Duterte previously designated as an additional collection point so the agency could personally see the volume of uncollected waste.
Davao City's primary disposal site, the New Carmen Sanitary Landfill, remains shuttered, leaving the local government without its main waste facility.
While Malacañang does not want to preempt the actions of the DILG, Castro warned that established offenses could lead to a reprimand, suspension, or removal from office.
Under the Local Government Code of 1991, administrative complaints against elective officials of highly urbanized cities like Davao must be filed with and decided by the Office of the President.
During the proceedings, the President holds the authority to impose a preventive suspension of up to 60 days if evidence of guilt is strong and the official's continued service risks tampering with witnesses or records.
Prior to the announcement of the probe, Malacañang had already criticized the Davao City government, stating that the illegal garbage dumping endangered public health and safety while violating environmental rules.
Castro pressed the local government unit to restore proper waste handling and fix its existing landfills instead of disregarding due process.
Condemning the incident, the Communications Undersecretary reminded local executives nationwide that public office exists to serve constituents rather than their personal interests.
Written by Jasmine Parohinog
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