City reopens bidding for garbage disposal

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Government has reopened bidding for the procurement of services of a licensed solid waste disposal facility, with an approved budget of P99.3 million.

The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) announced that bid documents will be available from September 2 to 10, 2026, while the submission and opening of bids are scheduled for September 10 at 9 a.m.

The rebid covers garbage collection and disposal services under Purchase Request No. 26-04-00380.

No reason for the rebidding was indicated in the posting on the city government's official web portal. Kenneth Siasar, chief of staff of Mayor Nestor Archival, also did not explain why the project was rebid.

Siasar, however, said during a press briefing yesterday that the city government is hopeful that Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (Primewaste), operator of the Binaliw landfill, will finally participate in the bidding.

“Hopefully, mu-drop na ang Primewaste aron atong masugdan ug lakaw atong basura dihang dapita. Naghuwat pa ta, nag-ampo pa ta nga mu-drop na sila,” he said, stressing that compliance with Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) requirements is the operator’s responsibility.

He added that long-term solutions must also be incorporated into the terms of reference to ensure the sustainability of the city's waste disposal operations.

Primewaste last participated in the city's bidding earlier this year after the DENR partially lifted restrictions on its facility in Barangay Binaliw. However, the company was disqualified after failing to upload the required documents to the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS).

Despite being the sole bidder at the time, the company's incomplete submission led to its disqualification.

Since then, Primewaste has skipped subsequent bidding rounds while awaiting the full lifting of the DENR's cease-and-desist order and completing rehabilitation works at the facility following the Binaliw landfill collapse.

The DENR has since fully lifted the cease-and-desist order against the landfill, although monitoring and rehabilitation activities continue.

On January 8, 2026, a massive trash slide at the Binaliw landfill buried workers, leaving 36 people dead.

The tragedy exposed structural and environmental issues at the facility, which had long drawn complaints over poor drainage, foul odors and leachate contamination.

The DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) restricted Binaliw's operations and later issued a cease-and-desist order, forcing Cebu City to haul its garbage to Aloguinsan at a cost of about P4.2 million to P4.5 million daily.

Mayor Archival earlier admitted that the P400-million allocation under Supplemental Budget No. 1 is rapidly being depleted, warning that another P100 million to P200 million supplemental budget may be needed before the end of the year.

The city also faces a P130-million debt obligation tied to the Binaliw facility, which must be settled before operations can resume. — (FREEMAN)