CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Government is apparently running out of options where to build a second sanitary landfill that will replace the one in barangay Inayawan.
Apart from searching within the city for a suitable site for a landfill, the City have started looking in neighboring cities like Talisay.
Councilor Nida Cabrera, chairman of the committee on environment, said they recently visited Talisay City’s open dumpsite to check if they could tie up with them in developing the dumpsite and convert it into a landfill.
Cabrera said the dumpsite in Talisay is a big area suitable for a landfill. Cebu City might resort to dumping its garbage to its neighboring city or town if they would not be able to find a suitable place for a landfill within its territory.
The areas within the city that they are studying at the moment are barangays Kalunasan and a possible site in a mountain barangay in the north district.
She said they will have to make a study on the viability of these areas. Cabrera said they need at least three years to make a feasibility study but the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is not giving them enough time to put up a new landfill and close the landfill in Inayawan.
The deadline given was March this year.
But after a strong opposition from residents of barangay Kalunasan, barangay officials of another mountain barangay in Cebu City, Barangay Binaliw, also oppose the move for a landfill in their place.
Binaliw Barangay Captain Wilson Bacor told The FREEMAN that he is sure his constituents will oppose the move.
“Kahinumdum ko sauna kadtong councilor pa si Edwin Jagmoc duna toy proposal gani nangita na sila ug possible site pero ang reaction sa mga tawo dili gyud ganahan na diha sa among barangay,” Captain Bacor said. (There was already a similar proposal when Edwin Jagmoc was still councilor and the residents opposed.)
Bacor said most residents think a landfill would make Binaliw suffer the same fate as Inayawan – “stinking” with garbage and suffer from health risks. But he said they would just wait for the City to formalize its plan.In Kalunasan, over 60,000 residents signified their opposition to construct a landfill in their place, one of the water sources of the city.
Aside from Binaliw, the City is also studying the feasibility of dumping garbage in Consolacion, which recently opened a state-of-the-art sanitary landfill operated by a private company.
The 6.9-hectare landfill in Barangay Pulog was built and operated by Asian Energysystems Corporation-The Renewable Energy Company. It is seen to solve the garbage problem of Metro Cebu for a significant period of time.
The owner assured the facility is safe and compliant with the guidelines stipulated in Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
Last Wednesday, City officials conducted an ocular inspection in Pulog, which will operate on the second week of February. Cabrera said they have yet to talk with the town officials and the private sector operating the facility. (FREEMAN)