Tomas wants garbage transfer station at old Inayawan landfill area

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña wants the proposed ordinance apportioning at least one hectare of land for the establishment of a transfer station at the controversial landfill in Barangay Inayawan approved.

He reasoned out that by having a city-owned transfer station facility, it will reduce the city’s expenses on hauling operation.

“The city will save P60,000 a day, P1.8 M a month. Why should we use other transfer station?”Osmeña said.

Right now, the city pays at least P1,333 tipping fee per ton of garbage to the service provider.

With the approval of the proposed ordinance authored by Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) affiliated Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr., Osmeña divulged it would prevent the opposition from choosing the expensive ones.

“Garganera (former city council chairman on environment committee Councilor Joel Garganera) finds a way to make it expensive.  We pay P150 for the transfer station right now, which is part of the tipping fee we pay to the service provider,” he said.

Earlier, Garganera expressed his opposition to the proposed measure for it is tantamount to the reopening of the landfill, wherein the Court of Appeals had issued a closure order last December 15.

Since the closure of the landfill, the city government started on contracting service provider that would haul the city’s trash.

Osmeña is grateful that the BOPK camp is now the majority at the City Council so that they can push through the proposed ordinance and stop the “foolishness” of the opposition.

The City Council, however, deferred last Tuesday the final deliberation of the proposed ordinance appropriating at least one hectare parcel of land for the establishment of transfer station at the controversial landfill in Barangay Inayawan.

This was because the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) has not yet presented the design of the facility to the council.

The CPDO is expected to present the design of the facility, so that the other members of the City Council would know about it before approving the measure.

Last January 27, Gabuya presented the proposed ordinance before the council.

In the ordinance, establishing a transfer station in Inayawan landfill will reportedly mean lesser expenses for the city government in terms of the payment of the contracted private hauler.

The city’s scheme of transfer station is to literally transfer the trash from city-owned garbage trucks to the private haulers’ equipment.

Once the transfer station is approved and established, the Cebu City’s Environment and Natural Resources Office shall be responsible for its operation and monitoring. —/GAN (FREEMAN)