Plan to dump garbage halted

Plan to dump garbage halted

MANILA (AP): President Joseph Estrada has ordered the
suspension of a plan to dump Manila's garbage on a remote island
until a legal battle is settled, a senior Cabinet official said
on Thursday.

A regional court temporarily halted the use of Semirara island
as a dumping ground because of a petition by local residents
fearing possible environmental disaster. Metropolitan Manila
officials have appealed the court order.

The island, about 290 kilometers south of Manila, has been
declared a marine turtle sanctuary, said Sen. Loren Legarda, who
called for a Senate investigation into the proposed landfill. The
island also could be a sanctuary for migratory birds, she added.

Under the Semirara proposal, the trash is to be loaded on
barges for a three-day journey to the island, passing near some
of the country's best-known beach resorts and fishing grounds.