BAGUIO CITY — The Supreme Court (SC) has ended a 14-year legal dispute involving the former Matoytoy-ok-Caluttit open dumpsite in Caluttit, Bontoc, Mountain Province, ruling in favor of the municipal government.

The high tribunal granted the municipality’s petition and set aside portions of the Court of Appeals’ (CA) 2013 and 2014 resolutions that ordered the excavation and removal of buried garbage without first requiring a mandatory technical and feasibility study.

The legal battle began in 2012 when the Kalinga Anti-Pollution Action Group and other petitioners filed a Petition for Writ of Kalikasan and Writ of Continuing Mandamus, raising concerns that the dumpsite was contaminating the Chico River.

In response, local officials led by then Mayor Pascual Sacgaca entered into a court-approved agreement in 2013 with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Environmental Management Bureau to address the environmental concerns.

By September 2013, the municipality had permanently closed the dumpsite and carried out rehabilitation measures to mitigate its environmental impact.

Despite compliance reports submitted by local authorities, the CA issued a directive in December 2013 ordering the removal of all accumulated waste within 30 days.

Under the administration of then Mayor Franklin Odsey in 2014, the municipality challenged the order before the Supreme Court, arguing that excavating the buried waste would violate the 2013 agreement, which required a technical study first to determine whether such an action was feasible and environmentally safe.

A composite technical team conducted an extensive assessment of the site and the nearby Chico River in 2023. The team, composed of regional environmental officials, geologists, and municipal representatives, found that the rehabilitated dumpsite no longer posed a threat to the river’s water quality.

The experts also determined that excavating the buried waste could trigger geological instability and create greater environmental risks, making the removal technically unfeasible.

Based on these findings, the Supreme Court nullified the appellate court’s directives and formally closed the case.

Bontoc Vice Mayor Alsannyster Patingan, who served as legal counsel for the municipality along with Atty. Seichi Ofo-ob and Atty. Edward Chumawar Jr., said removing the buried garbage would have undone years of rehabilitation work and potentially exposed the environment to further hazards.

Since the closure of the Matoytoy-ok-Caluttit dumpsite, Bontoc has strengthened its waste management program through the Am-ancho Waste Management Facility in Barangay Bontoc Ili.

Following the national approval of its 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan in 2018, the local government has continued implementing waste segregation, materials recovery, recycling, and composting programs in compliance with Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.