CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival has not yet reached out to Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado after she disclosed her displeasure over the lack of courtesy from Cebu City’s local government unit in using Consolacion’s waste facility.
Alegado, however, said the matter is no longer a personal issue, provided Cebu City complies with the guidelines set by her municipality.
“Ah wala man … Wala. Kay mag-segregate ra man daw sila. Wala ra puy problema nako. Dili ra ni nako big deal,” Alegado told The Freeman, adding that her priority is to maintain balance between social and environmental support for her constituents.
Archival, in a recent press conference, said he would visit Binaliw and Consolacion within the week to look into barangay concerns.
Alegado noted, however, that no meeting has been set. “Wa lang ko kahibalo unsay naa sa ilang huna-huna,” she remarked.
Her pronouncement during the Openline Forum the other day surprised many, especially since Archival had earlier expressed thanks to Consolacion for helping Cebu City.
“Kortesiya ta kay muagi man…mugamit mas among karsada … Mao nga manuyo ko, magdinaw ko kay inig kaguba sa kalsada, dili man sila’y muayo, ako man … Mao’ng kinahanglan gyud na … pamatasan ba. Kay ako, kon muadto kog lugar … tan-awn nako’g di’ ba ko makadistorbo … di’ ba ko makaguba. Dili ba ko makapagan. So that’s what we call courtesy call tingali, or bisan na lang inamigo nga pahibaw aron muset gyud ko … og muagi man ka no, butang tag load limit, naa ta’y cleanliness requirement. Musulti ta. Wa man moagi nato,” Mayor Alegado said in the forum.
Alegado told The Freeman that Cebu City had dealt directly with Asian Energy, the private operator of the facility, without consulting her office.
“Abi nila mao na’y husto. Dili man ko ing-ana noh. Wala nila gihuna-huna nga di man na kaagi ilang truck kon dili muagi sa akong karsada,” she said while pointing out that Cebu City’s trucks created odor and congestion issues in affected barangays.
“Daghan na kaayo’g social concerns sa mga barangay nga giagian … gibahuan, too much volume from morning to afternoon.”
The issue comes as Cebu City grapples with a mounting garbage problem. According to Archival earlier, the City generates 500 to 600 tons of waste daily.
DENR’s data, though, shows that the city generates more than 700 tons of waste daily, breaching the 700-ton mark in 2024 and projected to reach 1,000 tons per day by 2027.
Much of this waste had previously been directed to the Binaliw landfill in Barangay Binaliw, which collapsed on January 8, 2026, in a massive trash slide that killed 36 workers and a rescuer and injured at least 18 others.
Alegado recalled Consolacion’s immediate assistance during the Binaliw tragedy, mobilizing volunteers and rescue teams, many of whom were residents directly affected by the collapse.
“Nindot kayo tan-awn nga nagtinabangay ang mga katawhan from the barangay to the municipality to other LGUs,” she said, noting that 80 percent of the affected workers were from Consolacion.
She explained that Cebu City shifted operations to Consolacion’s facility without her consent while she was undergoing medical treatment.
“Natinga nako nga nasuko ang mga tawo…ni-allow kuno ko. Wala ko mi-allow,” she said. She later convened a conference with the committee on environment, committee on laws, barangay leaders, civil society groups, and Asian Energy to craft new guidelines.
These set a daily intake limit of 600 metric tons for the facility, with Cebu City allotted 100 to 150 tons per day, and stricter segregation and scheduling of deliveries to avoid congestion and odor problems.
Alegado stressed that while services are vital and cannot be denied, coordination should have been made to establish a “win-win” arrangement.
She added that Cebu City’s administrator Albert Tan had spoken with Consolacion Vice Mayor Joy-Joy Alegado, but no formal agreement was reached with her office.
“Vice Mayor Joy-Joy said that whatever agreement they have with Asian, it is still subject to evaluation…if ang mga tawo dili ba mu-alma,” she said.
She also disclosed that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources did not reach out to Consolacion and that she was not included in a meeting at the Capitol.
For Consolacion, the priority remains clear: to balance environmental responsibility with social welfare, while ensuring that Cebu City’s growing garbage problem does not overwhelm local communities.
| Written by Caecent No-ot Magsumbol
