Landfill closed ‘permanently’

Cebu City stopped dumping garbage at facility after receiving order from Court of Appeals

Mayor orders Department of Public Services to establish a transfer station at the South Road Properties Councilor Joel Garganera says he will support the executive department if the latter asks for an additional budget for garbage disposal

CEBU City stopped dumping garbage at the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill yesterday after the 19th Division of the Court of Appeals (CA) ordered the permanent closure of the facility.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña directed the City Legal Office to prepare a motion for reconsideration.

Although he has yet to receive a copy of the CA order, Osmeña said he will follow the law and immediately ordered the Department of Public Services (DPS) to establish a transfer station at the South Road Properties (SRP).

“I told my staff, you follow the law. We will stop using the landfill already. All garbage will go to the transfer station,” he said.

Osmeña earlier said he would dump the garbage at the SRP if the landfill would be closed and there was no available budget for it yet.

Assurance

The mayor, though, assured the residents that the daily collection of garbage will not be affected even with the City expecting more garbage during the Christmas season until the Sinulog.

Councilor Joel Garganera, for his part, said the court decision serves as a Christmas gift to the people, who were affected by the landfill’s operation.

Garganera, the petitioner of the writ of kalikasan case, said he will support the executive department if the latter asks for an additional budget through a supplemental budget for garbage disposal following the development.

DPS Chief Roberto Cabarrubias said they are still looking for an area at the SRP, or at the Block 27 property in the North Reclamation Area, where they can temporarily store garbage that will be collected starting today.

Cabarrubias said they are also looking for providers who will haul and dispose the wastes.

Meanwhile, the mayor said they will use the SRP as a transfer station until they get a budget for the garbage.

“We will be able to collect the garbage but we don’t have the capability to deliver it anywhere even during the time of (former) mayor Michael Rama. They had to hire a fictitious hauler to transfer it and charging too much money. Now we don’t have money, they won’t even give us budget for anapog (limestone) to cover the garbage,” he said.

Expected

Osmeña said that if the committee on budget and finance approved the P600 million he proposed for the closure and rehabilitation of the landfill, it would have been easier for the City to look for other options.

Of the amount, P85 million was allocated for the rehabilitation and closure of the landfill while P122 million was allocated for garbage collection and tipping fee.

Former councilor Ma. Nida Cabrera said they were expecting the court order since the mayor had already committed to shut down the facility by the end of this year.

Cabrera, who was tasked to oversee the reopening of the landfill, said it was better that the CA released the decision earlier to allow them to conduct an emergency purchase for the disposal of garbage using the quick response fund of the disaster office while the budget has yet to be approved.

While the landfill was ordered closed, Cabrera said that its rehabilitation will continue since it is part of their commitment to the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources 7.