SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — I read with amusement the Dumaguete Metropost editorial last week. It’s titled NIMBY, an acronym for Not In My Backyard. Residents in Barangays Candau-ay and Camanjac cried out loud NIMBY as they opposed the proposed landfill site in their backyard.
City Hall is set to solve its waste disposal problem within its territory, anywhere within its 30 barangays. In your own territory (IYOT) then, it is; as a prominent environmental lawyer suggests. Last Wednesday, the City Council gave Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo authority to purchase 3.5-hectare lot worth 18.7 million pesos in Candau-ay as City Hall upholds a bigger picture of the backyard concept negating N from NIMBY to prune it to IMBY.
Not all is well and smooth sailing from here on, however. Those opposed have a claim too to IYOT as the ones directly affected with the health hazards and stinking smell. Therefore City Hall owes them a good explanation and incentives for their sacrifice. But more daunting are the bureaucratic hurdles City Hall has to overcome from the provincial. regional, and way up to the national offices of the DENR. It could take forever even if Mayor Remollo was to declare a RevGov in the city. It takes away from anyone’s hands the responsibility to be in charged of solving the deepening garbage shit.
The urgency is compelling, City Hall already received from DENR three “final” orders to close the existing open dumpsite in Dumaguete City. But who is in charge? That reminds us of the asshole joke of who among the body parts is important and in charge.
One day, the organs of the body were having a meeting to decide who was in charge (as lifted from the Amsterdam Knowledge Base). “I should be in charge,” said the brain, “because I run all the body systems.” “I am,” replied the blood, “I circulate oxygen, without me you’d waste away.” “Should be me,” retorted the stomach, “I process food and give all of you energy.” Not to be outdone, the legs, eyes, ears, etc staked their claims while stressing their unique importance. Until the rectum shouted, “I should be in charge because I’m responsible for waste disposal.”
Everybody laughed. The rectum felt insulted so in a huff it shut down tight. Within a few days the brain had a terrible headache, stomach was bloated, legs wobbly, eyes watery and blood toxic.
Without a sense of communication and communion, the asshole rules. IYOT as a Visayan interjection is more colorful.
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