Tom to reappoint Cabrera as city environment chief

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is set to reappoint defeated Luz village chief bet Nida Cabrera to head the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resource Office (CCENRO).

“Yes, she will have to work on me as far as I am concerned even if I have to pay her salary [sic],” Osmeña said.

Cabrera resigned from her post on April 19 this year to run for barangay chairmanship, but lost to Ronnie Sab-a, the incumbent village chair.

The mayor said Cabrera played a vital role in CCENRO as she was in charge of overseeing the ongoing rehabilitation of the controversial landfill in Barangay Inayawan.

 “I need her, that’s one thing for sure. I need her badly because she fills in a very vital component in many of our programs, particularly on issues of complying with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and understanding the social issues on the landfill,” he said.

In a separate interview, Cabrera confirmed accepting the offer.

She said she is just waiting for the official appointment from the mayor.

Cabrera is expected to assume office on July 1.

Executive Assistant to the Mayor, Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez, sits as acting CCENRO officer in compliance with the mayor’s memorandum dated April 23, 2018.

While waiting for the appointment, Cabrera said she works voluntarily at CCENRO for special projects.

“I’m still working now sa special projects kay ni-commit man ko ni mayor nga motabang sa city to fast track sa waste-to-energy facility and tenure sa solid waste management. Ongoing nasad ang rehabilitation sa landfill, mao ng ni-stand by ko diri,” she said.

As for the Inayawan landfill, she said, two consultancy firms — Full Advantage Philippines Inc. and Mott MacDonald—have already conducted separate studies on the facility’s rehabilitation efforts.

Full Advantage is tasked to assess the current condition of the landfill in order to come up with a comprehensive closure and rehabilitation plans.

Mott MacDonald, on the other hand, is commissioned to help the city government identify the feasible technology that will process the mounting garbage at the landfill.

Aside from the Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court has recently directed the city government to rehabilitate the facility.

The landfill was closed on December 15, 2016 due to its violation on environmental laws and non-compliance on sanitary requirements. — KBQ (FREEMAN)