Hauler refused to dump in Binaliw: Where will city trash go?

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebu City government’s private garbage hauler, DOCAST General Contractor, has been refused to dump at a private landfill in Barangay Binaliw for four days now after allegedly failing to pay the landfill operator more than P18 million in dues.

ARN Central Waste Management Inc., the landfill operator, is demanding payment of DOCAST’s unpaid billings, which consist of P1,027,386.60 for 2020 and P17,648,518 for the period covering March 16 to May 31, 2021.

During its second quarter general assembly Monday, Liga ng mga Barangay president Franklyn Ong disclosed that the Binaliw landfill would no longer accept trash directly from the city as the trash must come from the transfer station starting Thursday, June 17.

Inayawan Barangay Captain Kirk Bryan Repollo was quick to air gripe over this development, saying residents in his barangay are made to suffer because of stench from the trash in the transfer station, which is already full.

“Binaliw landfill is not receiving anymore garbage transfer from the city, and the standing order is to deliver (garbage) to the transfer station in Inayawan. And there was no coordination with the garbage disposal. Unsay nahitabo? Nganong di na modawat? Ang existing transfer station kay puno na gyud… Kami sa Inayawan ang mag-suffer pirmi,” Repollo said.

It remains unclear where DOCAST is now dumping the collected trash from Cebu City.

The FREEMAN tried to reach the head of the City Hall’s Department of Public Services but the latter has not responded to calls and text messages for interview.

ARN records, however, show that the city’s combined daily average garbage disposal is 360 tons—150 tons from DPS, 80 tons from the barangays and 130 tons from DOCAST.

Demand letter

In a letter dated June 21, 2021 addressed to John David Javier of DOCAST, ARN, through its legal counsel lawyer Elias Espinoza, stated that two companies executed a “Waste Material Disposal Agreement” to dispose of the hauled garbage from Cebu City in the private facility.

For 2021, the letter said, the hauler was only able to pay billings for the months of January to March in the amount of P5 million.

“Hence, your total aggregate obligation to our client from the Year 2020 and this Year 2021 in PESOS: EIGHTEEN MILLION SIX HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED FOUR and SIXTY CENTAVOS (P18,675,904.60),” read the demand letter.

“Your office may have overlooked these unpaid Billing Statements of our Client that we are giving your goodself time, 10 days from receipt of this demand, to pay your long overdue and legal obligation,” it added.

The FREEMAN tried to reach Javier for comment but did not receive a response as of this writing.

Barred

Espinoza said that because of the unpaid obligation, DOCAST’s garbage trucks have not been allowed entry to the landfill since Saturday, June 19.

He clarified, though, that garbage trucks of the Cebu City government and its barangays are still allowed to dump there.

“Ang problema man gud sa sistema sa siyudad, ang payment is not direct to us. Ang payment is through the hauler, so ang atong kakontrata is the hauler, not the city government. So ang dunay contract is the city and DOCAST. Di ta kapaningil sa syudad kay wa man tay kontrata,” Espinoza explained.

Espinoza said DOCAST should acknowledge the P18 million obligation, adding that it could offer to pay initial payment or settle the account via installment.

“We don’t mind. Basta mabayran lang unta ta. Dunay efforts to pay ba,” said Espinoza.

He said unless DOCAST comes up with an offer to pay, its garbage trucks will not be allowed entry at the Binaliw facility.

Should DOCAST fail to meet its obligation after the given period, ARN plans to send a second and final demand letter to it before formally filing a collection suit in court.

‘No Sanity’

Meanwhile, acting Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said the city government will prioritize the fixing of the road at the garbage transfer station in Barangay Inayawan. A transfer station is a place where the city’s generated trash are gathered for hauling by the private hauler.

Rama said the city should take immediate action and “put back sanity in the road.”

The acting mayor, together with other representatives, visited the transfer station yesterday morning to check its situation.

“Murag walay gobyerno didto… We have to face the whole matter with a realization nga we’ve got to do something,” said Rama.

Repollo said a long line of garbage trucks was seen at the transfer station coming from both north and south barangays on Tuesday.

Aside from this, Repollo also raised concern on the damaged road where garbage trucks would pass going to the transfer station and even the Department of Public Services office in the barangay.

He earlier appealed to the city government to immediately fix the road for the convenience of motorists and pedestrians. — JMD (FREEMAN)