Council to decide on Binaliw landfill

CEBU, Philippines — The approval of the special permit use application of ARN Builders Inc., developer of the 1.7 hectare proposed central materials facility and sanitary landfill in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City, is now in the hands of the city council.

This, after the city’s zoning board has recommended the approval of the permit after a thorough deliberation of the application.

The ARN Builders has complied with all the necessary permits stipulated in City Ordinance 1656 or the zoning ordinance in acquiring special permit use that includes barangay endorsement, public hearing, and barangay consultation inviting the adjacent areas.

In fact, the city’s zoning board has a certification detailing that they held a public hearing inviting Binaliw Barangay Captain Wilson Bacor and the adjacent property owners last December 07, 2017.

The barangay has also passed a resolution stating that they don’t have any objection of the establishment of such facility in the barangay provided that the developer will comply with all the requirements.

Other requirements include the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).

Last March 6, Councilor Alvin Arcilla, representative of Mayor Tomas Osmeña as chairman of city’s zoning board, sponsored a resolution seeking approval on the special use permit application of ARN Builders.

Last November 2017, ARN Builders has applied for the special use permit of the agricultural land, wherein the proposed sanitary landfill will be established.

City Planning and Development Office officer-in-charge Jose Guisadio said that, based on the ordinance, it is the city council that would approve the application of ARN builders.

He said their office is tasked to monitor and evaluate activities relative to the use and development of land within the city, and if the contractor has been compliant with the requirement set by the city government.

During the executive session last April 18, Guisadio said that all of the procedures have been followed by the contractor.

“Yes all of these steps were done as far as this particular application is concerned,” he said.

The city council has held an executive session to get clarification on the process of acquiring special permit from the city government and to know whether or not the developer has been compliant with it.

Councilor Jose Daluz III asked Guisadio if there is an existing guideline that the city council should follow in approving the application.

“Is there no guidelines in approving the special permit? It’s the discretion of the sanggunian?“ Daluz asked.

Guisadio said that Section 3 of the zoning ordinance provides the criteria on how to approve the special land use application.

“If it is a private dumping site, it should be well-fenced, to prevent scattering of the solid waste.  Second, there should be a good management to prevent rats and flies,” he said.

ARN Builders Project Director and Consultant Sherwin Santos said they will put up a facility that would process the trash.

“What’s unique in this project is the component of the equipment – it is not just a sanitary landfill where you dump everything. There is a machine in the system that processes and digest. So everything will be reduced,” he said. (FREEMAN)