CEBU, PHILIPPINES — The Cebu City Council is demanding transparency on the city’s current waste management situation and has requested Mayor Nestor Archival to submit a transition plan to phase out operations at the South Road Properties (SRP), which has been turned into a temporary dumpsite.
The council stressed that the plan must go beyond a simple exit from SRP and present clear future options, whether through alternate landfills, transfer stations, or new facilities, to prevent another crisis.
Councilor Joel Garganera, chairperson of the Committee on Environment of the city council, warned through a privilege speech during the council’s regular session the other day that the body had been “kept in the dark” on critical issues, including the reopening of the Binaliw landfill despite the absence of a final investigation report into the January trash slide that killed 36 people.
“No final investigation report. No notice of reopening. No report of safety measures in place,” Garganera said. “It haunts me, Mr. Chair, that another tragedy could happen again right under our noses and we would know nothing of it.”
He lamented Mayor Archival’s inconsistent pronouncements, noting that on April 29, Archival admitted receiving the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) order and said reopening Binaliw could be advantageous, but by May 4, he denied knowledge of the resumption of operations.
Garganera reminded his colleagues that Archival himself, when he was still a councilor, had been vocal about the dangers of Binaliw and had called for executive sessions to scrutinize its risks.
He added that even the DENR was unaware that Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PWS), the operator of the Binaliw landfill, had resumed operations.
“Until now, I haven’t heard of the mayor demanding the result of the investigation in Binaliw by DENR’s composite team from Manila,” Garganera said.
With uncertainties surrounding Binaliw and the end of Cebu’s contract with Aloguinsan, garbage has returned to SRP. Garganera raised alarm over SRP Pond A, which he said is being operated in a manner similar to the previously closed Inayawan landfill.
Inayawan was shut down after the Court of Appeals issued a Writ of Kalikasan and a Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) in 2016, later affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2018.
He warned that SRP lacks basic landfill safeguards such as liners, leachate collection systems, and daily cover, and is located near sensitive ecosystems.
“We cannot afford to commit the same mistake again… Ang ato lang na e klaro, i-transparent lang nato. Kay ako, I sense something fishy,” Garganera said. “If only the transition was clear, if only Binaliw was shown to be safe and capable, then we would not be forced to keep dumping at SRP.”
Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña, during the discussion, stressed the steep cost of hauling garbage to Aloguinsan, P1.8 million per day, but agreed to the 30-day deadline to come up with a solution.
He also revealed that the Land Bank had approved P360 million for a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Cebu City, a project expected to provide relief. The City Council, however, has yet to give its nod to this.
Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover questioned whether PrimeWaste had made any commitment to help the city, noting that without such support, Cebu was left with no choice but to dump waste at SRP.
Councilor Sisinio Andales then also turned to Garganera for immediate solutions, to which he replied that he had already laid out proposals, including Waste-to-Energy (WTE), but lamented that they had fallen on “deaf ears.”
From these concerns, Garganera pushed six motions for council action.
He asked the mayor to expand the membership of the Solid Waste Management Task Force to include disaster managers, urban planners, academics, and civil society groups, and to broaden its mandate to identify alternative collection and transfer sites for Cebu’s garbage.
He urged the mayor to halt the operation of SRP Pond A as an open dumpsite, citing the Writ of Kalikasan and Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) against Inayawan and the similarities in how SRP is being run.
The Department of Public Services is also expected to provide the council with updates on SRP’s condition, including garbage volume, clearing operations, and rehabilitation plans.
Garganera also urged the mayor to demand the DENR composite team’s investigation results on Binaliw.
After a recess, Garganera amended one of his motions, shifting from a cease-and-desist order to a resolution expressing grave concern and requiring a transition plan within 30 days.
The plan is expected to outline how the city will phase out operations at SRP, identify alternative collection and transfer points, and detail rehabilitation measures for the affected ecosystem.
All motions were approved by the council.
“This entire situation must serve as a wakeup call for all of us,” Garganera said.
“Transparency builds trust, prevents speculation, and assures the people of Cebu City that decisions are guided not by convenience, but by safety, accountability, and genuine concern for public welfare.”
| Written by Caecent No-ot Magsumbol/IHM
