City mulls quick hiring of firm

Garganera says Council has been waiting for proposal, bent on supporting it

THE Cebu City Government is working on an emergency purchase to hire a service provider that will handle its garbage disposal after the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill and its temporary transfer station were ordered to stop its operation.

Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez, executive assistant of Mayor Tomas Osmeña, said they will ask members of the City Council to hold a special session tomorrow to authorize the mayor to enter into a contract with the winning service provider.

Fernandez said they were able to determine P9.2 million in available funds, which can be used to pay for the garbage collection of the city until Dec. 31.

Since yesterday afternoon, the executive department has been canvassing those companies that can provide the City with the services they need for garbage.

“We hope we can work out on this emergency solution. We were caught by surprise by the decision of the (Court of Appeals) but we are not going to do something illegal, that’s why we hope that the Council will cooperate and they will attend the special session,” Fernandez said.

The development came after the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7 of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ordered City Hall to stop dumping garbage in the South Road Properties (SRP).

When the CA ordered the City to stop using the landfill, Osmeña identified a portion of SRP as a temporary transfer station.

Consideration

While the City has yet to hire a service provider, former Councilor Ma. Nida Cabrera said she went to EMB 7 yesterday and asked them to give the City a few more days to use the transfer station at the SRP.

Cabrera, who is tasked by Osmeña to oversee the operation of the landfill, said she asked for consideration since the City cannot automatically shut down the facility.

Compared to the normal process, an emergency purchase will allow the City to fast-track the procedure in hiring a service provider that will take care of its garbage disposal, Fernandez said.

Based on their estimates, the City targeted to pay P1,400 for every ton of garbage that the service provider will dispose, said Fernandez.

The amount will include the payment for the hauling of the garbage from the transfer station at SRP to its final disposal and the use of their garbage trucks.

Fernandez said it will also be up to the service provider where they will dispose the garbage, as long as it is authorized.

The P1,400 estimate payment per ton is less than the P1,500 payment for tipping fee that the previous administration used to pay Asian Energy Systems Corp. before.

However, Fernandez said they’re still hopeful that they can get a rate lower than P1,400 since they will still have to bid it out first today.

There are now three service providers that the City identified and were asked to give their quotations for the service that they will render.

But others are still welcome, Fernandez said, adding that interested service providers may contact City Hall today.

They will also start the process of getting the service provider that will handle the garbage disposal of the city starting on Jan. 1 next year, said Fernandez.

Fernandez said the contract won’t be signed yet since the budget has be approved still.

Although the Council has approved the P7.2 billion annual budget of the City for 2017, it will still need the approval of Osmeña before it can be used.

Willing

When sought for comment on the move, Councilor Joel Garganera said he is willing to attend the special session and support the legislative measure that the executive department is asking because it’s “long overdue.”

“The Council is just waiting for that. We even gave the mayor the authority to enter and negotiate a contract to any landfill. That goes without saying that we will support any legislative move that we can give to address the issue,” Garganera said.