WTE facility to be built on the Balili property

CEBU, Philippines —  If everything goes according to plan, a waste-to-energy (WTE) facility will soon be built in the controversial Balili property of Cebu Province.

During a press conference after the unity and solidarity meeting yesterday with incoming Cebu City officials, governor-elect Gwendolyn Garcia said the most sustainable and economically feasible project to address garbage disposal is WTE.

“When I was governor, in my last term, there was already an unsolicited proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant sa very famous Balili property. This company was willing to rent the lot at a certain amount per square meter with escalation up to two years,” she said.

Garcia said the proponent, which was not revealed yesterday, was willing to give a percentage of the revenue to the provincial government.

Because of this proposal, she said the Balili property was able to secure an economic zone status issued by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

“All of that was put on hold purely because of some malicious, political agenda of now you-know-who and who were they then. I intend to pursue that. There’s already again an offer, even right now, and I’m very happy that we have the Provincial Board members with me,” she said, adding that the same company will resubmit the unsolicited proposal.

WTE is a system wherein rubbish will be loaded into furnaces and burned, thereby generating large amount of steam that will eventually spin generator turbines that will produce electricity for the generator’s power grid.

Garcia said WTE is the sustainable way of addressing the garbage concern.

In the meantime, while the WTE has not yet been established, Garcia said the landfill in Aloguinsan will accommodate the trash of the local government units.

Meanwhile, Cebu City mayor-elect Edgardo Labella said one of the plans of his administration is to have a 24/7 garbage collection.

The big garbage trucks will be used to collect garbage during night time when there is no traffic congestion while the smaller trucks will be used in the garbage collection during the day, he said.

The establishment of more transfer stations in the city should also be implemented, he added.

“Usa sa akong posisyon is kon mahimo, wala g’yuy landfill dinhi sa atong dakbayan sa Sugbo. Anyway, duna man tay mga local government units nga willing mo-accommodate nato,” he said.

Labella has been consistent in his stand opposing the use of the private landfill in Barangay Binaliw, which has recently become the subject of complaints by the residents living near the area because of the stench.  — BRP (FREEMAN)