Someone close to CH behind ‘K-trash’ entry

A person close to the Cebu City government could have facilitated the unexplained entry of the 5,000 metric tons of garbage from South Korea into Cebu earlier this year.

Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia made the remark at the conclusion of the congressional inquiry that sought to shed light on the controversial arrival of the Korean trash or the so-called “K-trash” at the port of Cebu City last January 20.

Though some questions remained unanswered, the congresswoman, who represents Cebu's third district, said that based on the series of events, the tons of mixed trash possibly reached Cebu City with the connivance of someone from the government and other officials.

“We have here the play of events and circumstances that lend us to conclude that indeed the 5,000 metric tons of trash was previously arranged for someone quite close to the city government of Cebu because by circumstantial evidences, a previouslyclosed landfill was suddenly opened,” she said.

With the congressional hearing done, the House Committee on Ecology is expected to draft a report regarding the investigation, which will then become the basis for the Office of the Ombudsman to pursue charges against concerned government officials.

There is no definite schedule yet on when the report will be released.

Estrellita Suansing, committee chairperson, said the statements of the invited resource persons will be included in the report.

Among the speakers yesterday, the second and final day of inquiry, were Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, former city council chairman on environment; former city councilor Roberto “Bob” Cabarrubias, who represented Mayor Tomas Osmeña; Jessica Delgado, a representative from the Bureau of Customs-7; and Engineer William Cuñado, Environmental Management Bureau-7 director, among others.

The K-trash controversy caught the attention of Garcia after a “concerned citizen” sent a letter to the Office of the President detailing how some officials were allegedly involved in the “illicit” transaction. The letter was dated March 22, 2017.

The letter alleged that former city councilor Augustus “Jun” Pe Jr., an ally of Mayor Osmeña, conspired with former Bureau of Custom-Cebu acting collector Rico Rey Francis “Koko” Holganza and a certain Edmond Roxas, the supposed Korean connection in Cebu and Davao, to transport to Cebu the 5,000 metric tons of trash from South Korea.

Osmeña and Pe were linked to the controversy after the letter revealed that the Korean trash which ended up at a dumpsite in Barangay Tingub, Mandaue City was supposed to be disposed of at the Inayawan landfill in Cebu City.

The dumping of the K-trash in Inayawan would later be overtaken by the facility's closure.

At the hearing, Garcia asked Garganera on whether he thought the reopening of the Inayawan dump was suspicious.

In response, the councilor said: “Yes. As I said it earlier, Director Cuñado mentioned that Nida Cabrera (Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office head) moved heaven and earth to have this site closed. It was Cabrera then who had it closed.”

“I was surprised when in the new administration, she was now in the forefront of the reopening of the landfill. It was a 180-degree turnaround,” he added

Osmeña was a no-show at the hearing yesterday but, he has repeatedly denied links to the trash's entry.