Labella authorized to sign deal with CCMC waste collector

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has given Mayor Edgardo Labella authority to enter into an agreement with Integrated Medical Waste Management Inc. to collect Cebu City Medical Center’s wastes.

During its regular session yesterday, the council tackled the proposed resolution of Councilor Prisca Niña Mabatid authorizing the mayor to enter into a service agreement with the firm.

Under the agreement, IMWMI will be responsible for collecting, treating, and disposing of the medical wastes of the hospital.

The council discussed the process of collection, transportation, and final treatment/disposal of hazardous/non-hazardous waste and pathological waste of CCMC.

Dr. Anton Reposar said that CCMC produces two kinds of waste, which are general waste and infectious waste.

CCMC produces at least 63 kilogram of infectious waste such as cultures and stocks of infectious agents from laboratory and surgery waste.

Alma Rias, business management officer of IMWI, said that they have been collecting the wastes of CCMI since March 2019.

She said they collect the infectious waste three times a week, and it goes through a series of steps in order to transport it to the waste treatment plant in Cavite.

IMWMI said it is a company that provides environmentally safe and legally accepted waste management services to various companies in different industries.

Ever since the IMWMI won the bidding last March 2019, it has assumed the responsibility of collecting medical waste of CCMC even without an agreement.

Rias said as a requirement for them to collect the fee, they were asked to provide a favorable legal opinion from the City Legal Office, and a signed memorandum of agreement with the mayor.

They were already able to secure the legal opinion, and as part of the requirements, they also needed the council to allow the mayor to sign the MOA.

Last December 3, 2019,  the City Legal Office already gave the legal opinion on the matter, stating that “there is no legal impediment for the issuance of the necessary Sangguniang Panlungsod Resolution authorizing the Mayor to enter, sign and/or execute the Service Agreement.”

After the deliberation yesterday, the council approved Mabatid’s resolution.  JMD (FREEMAN)