Despite ownership woes, landfill rehab continues
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said the City is waiting for the result of the investigation over the ownership status of the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill after another person claimed that he holds the title of the lot.
“That’s foolishness (someone else owning the lot). You ask (former mayor) Mike Rama how much money they made out of that,” Osmeña told reporters on Friday, Feb. 15.
Osmeña filed an adverse claim on the title of the lot, where the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill is located after the City recently found out that a private individual holds the title of the lot.
Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez, executive assistant of Osmeña, said they are trying to determine why a title was given to a private citizen when the City has been in possession of the property for years.
Fernandez said the lot, where the landfill is, was titled in 1972 and the City just learned about the other owner when he applied for a new tax declaration before the City Assessor’s Office.
According to the records, Fernandez said, they found out that the 15-hectare Inayawan Sanitary Landfill was part of the 28-hectare titled property under the name of Renato Senining, a resident of the city.
Fernandez said the title was about to be transferred to Golden Hectarage Corp., the new buyer of the lot.
While the investigation is ongoing, Fernandez said the City will push through with whatever development in the landfill.
At present, Full Advantage Philippines International Inc. is about to undertake the closure and rehabilitation plan for the landfill, two years after the facility stopped its operation.
For his part, opposition councilor Joel Garganera said that although he is supportive of whatever rehabilitation will be done to the landfill, the City cannot develop what it does not own.
Garganera said he is particularly against the plan to construct a concrete perimeter fence worth P36 million at the landfill. /
I am supportive of whatever rehabilitation will be done to the landfill, but the City cannot develop what it does not own. What’s the use of putting up the fence? You cannot introduce development if you don’t own the property. JOEL GARGANERA Opposition Councilor, Cebu City