Council to tackle fate of city garbage today

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council will convene for a special session today over the need to hire a private company anew to haul the city’s garbage out of the city.

The special session is upon the request of Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

The city’s contract with Jomara Konstruckt, the company that hauled the garbage last month from the South Road Properties, expired last December 31. The city spent P9.2 million for Jomara’s services.

Ronaldo Malacora, head of the city’s Bids and Awards Committee, said the city has budgeted P26,040,000 for the next contract.

He said the city is now canvassing for the next service provider.

Because the city can no longer dump its garbage at the SRP, the garbage collected from the houses and establishments are disposed of temporarily at a transfer station in Barangay Inayawan on a lot owned by Erwin Ortiz.

Roberto Cabarrubias, head of the city’s Department of Public Services, said they will determine if the P9.2 million budget for Jomara’s services is exhausted after the total amount of garbage collected will be totaled. The city will only pay Jomara an equivalent of the garbage collected per ton.

Meanwhile, Osmeña dispelled information the city is paying Jomara more than what it used to pay a private landfill in Consolacion.

“That’s not true that we are paying more and we have nothing to do with Consolacion…before they’ve been paying P1,500 a ton for hauling and tipping so according to my mathematics, P1,500 is more than P1,375,” he said.

It was Councilor Joel Garganera, chairman of the council committee on environment, who raised the matter.

“It is puzzling that the Mayor would not let the city to do it at a lower price but is OK with letting a private contractor do it at a higher cost to the city. The cost is far higher than the previous admin because more than half of the barangays goes directly to the landfill and just pay P700 tipping fee, unlike now wherein all barangays will go to the private hauler,” he told The FREEMAN earlier.

To recall, Osmeña does not want the city to transact with the landfill in Consolacion owing to the alleged anomalies in the arrangement.

Yesterday, he reiterated his plan to file charges against those responsible for the “anomalous” contract. —/JMO (FREEMAN)