Debt may stall Binaliw return

CEBU, Philippines — A P130-million payable to Prime Integrated Waste Solutions (Primewaste) from the previous administration has raised concerns among Cebu City councilors that the unsettled debt could be used as a precondition for the city’s return to the Binaliw landfill.

During the City Council’s latest executive session on the Binaliw landfill, councilors pressed Primewaste General Manager Niño Abellana to clarify whether the company’s acceptance of the city’s garbage hinged solely on the full lifting of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) cease-and-desist order or also on the city’s payment of its arrears.

Abellana explained that Primewaste had already submitted compliance documents to the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau following its latest inspection, but admitted that the unsettled payables remained a concern in sustaining operations.

“It’s a condition, but if we can be assured that payment will be processed, then we can discuss,” he said, noting that the new landfill cell under construction would only last “a year or a year and a half” and that additional cells would require massive capital spending to sustain operations.

Abellana clarified that Mayor Nestor Archival’s administration had already cleared its obligations and that only the P130 million incurred under the previous administration remained unsettled.

“In fairness to this administration, they already cleared sa payments under Mayor Archival’s administration… Ang kato na lang sa previous administration which is mao nay among gihangyo unta nga process because of the continuity of the operations,” Abellana added.

Councilor Harry Eran stressed that while the city recognizes its contractual obligations, debts incurred under the previous administration should not be imposed on the current leadership.

“We have the interest to pay tungod kay kontrata na, but we cannot make it contingent on previous utang, away from this administration,” Eran said.

Councilors Winston Pepito and Franklyn Ong echoed the concern, warning that social services could be crippled if the landfill remained closed and urging Primewaste not to tie the city’s access to the facility to old payables.

“In an emergency situation, in fact we are in a crisis right now… unta walay precondition to having a contract,” Pepito said.

Abellana assured the council that Primewaste was willing to participate in future bidding processes and that the matter of the payables could be discussed with the company’s principals if the city showed clear intent to process the payments.

Councilor Joel Garganera added that Primewaste’s participation in the May bidding proved that the payables were not being treated as a precondition, although the company was disqualified for other requirements.

The Binaliw landfill in Barangay Binaliw, operated by Primewaste, was closed by the DENR following a deadly trash slide last January that killed 36 workers and injured 18. The closure forced the city to haul garbage as far as Aloguinsan at a cost of around P4.2 million daily.

Although the DENR partially lifted the order a few months later, Primewaste opted to accept private haulers while awaiting the full lifting of the cease-and-desist order.

The company said the move was also intended to assure the City Council and other concerned groups that safety issues were being addressed.

The landfill’s intermittent reopening has further highlighted Cebu City’s dependence on private facilities since the closure of the Inayawan landfill years ago.

Without Binaliw, the city continues to struggle to manage its daily waste output, resulting in mounting costs and logistical challenges.

The Freeman learned from the City Treasurer’s Office that it has yet to receive a formal request for payment, although it acknowledged the P130 million debt and said it was aware of the obligation.

The Department of Public Services, which oversees waste disposal, had not clarified the reason for the delay in payment as of press time.(CEBU NEWS)