Archival seeks help on waste, water problems

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival has appealed to business leaders, investors, and the construction industry to work with the government in addressing the city’s worsening garbage and water problems, warning that Cebu’s vision of becoming a “sustainable, smart, and inclusive” city by 2035 could fail without strong public and private sector cooperation.

Speaking during the 31st CebuCon Build Expo 2026 the other day, Archival underscored the urgency of Cebu City’s environmental challenges, particularly solid waste management and water security.

The mayor recalled his first day in office on July 1, 2025, when hundreds of bottled waters were consumed during meetings at City Hall.

“After five o’clock we had about 450 bottles, plastic bottles. If you have to look at it, part of this, gamay ra kaayo nakuha, it’s not consumed. That time I realized, we have to do something,” Archival said.

The experience prompted him to launch the “One Tumbler at a Time” advocacy, initially within City Hall and later expanded to include professionals, contractors, and designers.

“Our dream is to be sustainable, we need to have sustainable water supply. I hope everybody will help me especially in the city of Cebu, ang atong mga amigo nga constructors, atong mga amigo nga hardware team, atong mga amigo nga mga designers. Please ask your team to have a tumbler, because being a tumbler, we want to have a sustainable city,” he said.

Archival emphasized the economic disparity between bottled water and utility-supplied water.

“One bottle can cost you ?10 and if you have three, ?30. But you know what, in MCWD and other water utilities all over the Philippines, ?30 per cubic has 1,000 liters. Meaning to say, ?30 of bottled waters is only about 1.5 liters. So in that case, I hope that everybody will help me,” he explained.

The mayor also challenged architects and developers to incorporate water conservation systems into their building designs, including the reuse of water produced by air-conditioning units.

“Can you just imagine, in one condo unit, if you have something like 300 rooms, and you have one air-conditioning unit per room. One horsepower of air-conditioning units produce one liter of water per hour. If you use your aircon from seven o’clock to five o’clock you will have 10 liters. Multiply that by 300, unsa na na ka daghan sa tubig nga imong gilabay,” Archival said.

“In your design, hopefully, aside from the rainwater that you are going to catch, I hope the air-conditioning water that’s coming out, you are going to save it,” he added.

While Archival focused heavily on water conservation, environmental advocates have long identified single-use plastics, particularly PET bottles and sachets, as major contributors to Cebu’s garbage problem.

PET bottles clog waterways and overwhelm landfills, while sachets account for millions of discarded pieces daily nationwide. Environmental groups have warned that unmanaged plastic waste worsens flooding and pollution in Cebu and further strains the city’s waste management system.

Archival acknowledged the continuing garbage problem but stressed that waste segregation efforts must continue.

“We have two points: one is garbage nga di na lang nako esulti kay nagsegregate naman mo tanan, the second one is about water,” he said, adding that both concerns are critical to Cebu’s long-term sustainability.

The mayor carried the same message during the Cebu Business Month 2026 summit, attended by Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Regan Rex King, Overall Chairman Bryan Yap, and presidents and chief executive officers from various industries.

Addressing local and national stakeholders, Archival reiterated Cebu City’s goal of becoming a sustainable, smart, and inclusive city by 2035, stressing that the vision can only be achieved through strong collaboration between government and the private sector.

He again pointed to solid waste management and water security as urgent issues and encouraged entrepreneurs and investors to pursue innovative and technology-driven solutions in waste processing and resource management.

Archival urged the business community to help transform the city’s challenges into opportunities and work together toward building a greener, more resilient, and more prosperous Cebu.

“Taking care and taking action for Cebu City,” Archival said, “we need everyone’s help to build a smarter, stronger Cebu City.” (CEBU NEWS)