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.