A refreshing bit of statement from Mayor Osmeña
There was a bit of news I heard from television yesterday that should be considered as disturbing. This was about the declaration of His Honor, Cebu City Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña, that he intended to dump the garbage of the city somewhere at the South Road Properties should the court order the closure of the city's landfill in Barangay Inayawan. Even if an accompanying video footage focused on a fear of a resident of a place near the SRP should the city's waste be thrown there, all of us would probably be affected by that eventuality.
To recall, Honorable Councilor Joel Garganera filed a case to compel the mayor to shut down the garbage dump in Inayawan. This happened when Mayor Osmeña stopped using a privately-owned landfill in Consolacion town and instead directed the concerned city personnel to revert back to dumping in Inayawan. In the mind of the good sanggunian member, the continued operation of the Inayawan landfill is, in its immediate effect, a continuing threat to the health of the people living nearby as it is a danger to environment. He has a law to anchor his action on and the findings of government agencies to back him up.
We have been sufficiently informed that the court tried to reach a solution many people call as "win-win." Finding a cause common and acceptable to both parties to the suit was a seemingly impossible task. The mayor and the councilor, known political belligerents, believed that their individual cause was just and legal. In that situation, the court is left with the option to rule, on the basis of law and evidence, on the case. That decision is forthcoming and I surmise that the mayor might not feel positive of a favorable ruling and that was possibly why he made that preemptive statement I described above as "disturbing."
Embedded in the news report, however, was silver lining of sort. The mayor was quoted as saying that he was evaluating the viability of Kalunasan as a new site of a modern city solid waste disposal system. That part of the news was very short. It could easily be overlooked. The brevity of the report notwithstanding, I felt that it signaled something Cebuanos can look forward to with guarded anticipation. Really, it was a refreshing bit of statement.
I am particularly thankful to the mayor for considering this site. I remember that even before Councilor Garganera initiated his court action, I suggested, in this column, to explore the area bounded by Barangays Kalunasan, Busay, and Lahug. Actually, it was the late former mayor Ronald Duterte, who mentioned to me, while we were conversing at his flower resort in Barangay Babag decades ago, that years after his time, the city could use this area for a modern type of a landfill.
The site I am talking about is a valley that sits in the middle of the city's north and south districts. In fact, trucks carrying the garbage from both districts have different access routes. Those coming from the north can enter through the Salinas Extension road, although this has to be extended through the Golden Valley subdivision, while the access of the south district garbage trucks is the bridge at the back of Guadalupe church. I also suggest that a new access road be made to preserve the immediate environs of the church.
The landfill of the City of Bayawan in Negros Oriental is arguably the best in the country that I have seen and, modesty aside, I have been to many. In fact, I can compare its system favorably with that of the City of Manteca in California. To cite an example, it has a functional space where all human wastes retrieved from the Bayawan City's septic tanks are deposited and processed. Beside this structure, one can eat his lunch with no discomfort at all. There is not the faintest of a foul smell that can be detected.
In my conversation with Atty. Rene Gaudiel, the city administrator, I learned that a German expert, lent to the city by a United Nations' office, designed the 21-hectare facility. To save on some expense, the city used some available indigenous materials as substitute. In the spirit of cooperation, Bayawan City is ready to give copies of the blueprint of its landfill system. Even without any authority from Mayor Osmeña, I asked Atty. Gaudiel if their city officers are willing to brief any interested visitor like Cebu City authorities. The city administrator's answer was a very positive smile coupled with a firm handshake. With the pronouncement the other day that our mayor is evaluating the Kalunasan area, he can take further step by visiting Bayawan City.
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