Archival eyes P200M more to dispose waste

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said the city may have to pass another supplemental budget to sustain its garbage hauling and disposal operations as the reopening of the Binaliw landfill remains uncertain despite the full lifting of the cease-and-desist order (CDO) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB).

“Kani karon, we cannot expect that the Binaliw will be open. It’s open in the papers, I would say, nga pwede na. But considering of the things that had passed, nga nahitabo, nga gi-blame nato ang… I think, ha, ang Prime Waste ngano’g daghang nangamatay, ‘Ngano’g ablihan nato nga basin daghan pa niana ang mamatay?’ Then, sila medyo alanganin pa. That’s why tan-aw nako, dili ta, within the next two or three months, dili ta kahimo ana,” Archival said.

He warned that the city’s current allocation for garbage hauling and disposal may soon be exhausted.

“Now, if ma-exhausted na atong funds nga available karon, I think we will have to ask the Council for another supplemental budget for another, probably, P100 to 200 million,” he said.

Earlier this year, the City Council approved Supplemental Budget No. 1 amounting to ?800.54 million, of which ?400 million was earmarked for garbage hauling and disposal.

Archival said the allocation was sought by his administration to address the city’s immediate needs following the January 8 trash slide at the Binaliw landfill that killed 36 people and a rescue volunteer.

However, the city’s daily expenses for hauling garbage to Aloguinsan have been rapidly depleting the funds.

Archival said the city continues to spend between ?4.2 million and ?4.5 million a day to transport its waste to Aloguinsan.

Aside from the funding shortage, Archival said the city also has unsettled obligations to Prime Integrated Waste Solutions, the operator of the Binaliw landfill.

“The question now is, because of what had happened nga gisege’g question ang kanang kompaniya nga Prime Waste sa ubang mga tawo nga dili gusto, ‘O,’ kanang hitabo, ingon sila nga, ‘Okay, we will be opening it for you. Bayri ninyo ang 130 million.’ So, nabutang ta sa sitwasyon nga how can I pay something during the time nga dili nako administrasyon nga kuwang-kuwang man ang papeles?” he said.

During the City Council’s latest executive session on the Binaliw landfill, Department of Public Services (DPS) head John Paul Gelasque said that even if the city were to resume using the facility, additional funds would still be needed because the current allocation is expected to run out by November.

Archival stressed that Cebu City’s reliance on landfills is not a new practice, saying successive administrations had continued to use landfilling as the city’s primary waste disposal method.

“For the last, again, 25 years, we depend on, actually we call that as, landfilling. Wala ko nagsugo niana. It has been there pilapila ka buok mayors. Ang tanang mayor sa atong syudad sa Sugbo, ha? Gikan sa 1998 hangtod karon, nisugot sa landfill,” he said, referring to previous administrations under Tomas Osmeña, Edgardo Labella, Michael Rama and Raymond Garcia.

Archival said that even when he was a councilor, he advocated composting as an alternative to sending waste to landfills.

He said he even processed about 3,000 kilos of biodegradable waste through composting at his home.

“Unya kung naa lang siguro mga 50 kabuok pareha nako nag-compost, daghan na kay tag ma-save, right?” he added.

The Cebu City Council is scheduled to inspect the Binaliw landfill today, September 2, but media coverage of the inspection has been barred, raising questions about transparency in the process. — (FREEMAN)