Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. on Friday assured full compliance with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) order directing the city to stop using a portion of the South Road Properties (SRP) as a temporary garbage holding area.
In an interview, Archival said the city has been given a 90-day period to clear the waste stockpile but committed that the site will be fully cleared earlier than the deadline.
“We will be finished in the first week of July. We will abide by that,” Archival said.
He said the city government is currently diverting garbage to an authorized disposal facility in Aloguinsan while awaiting the full resumption of operations at the Binaliw landfill.
Archival said the city remains ready to return to Binaliw once remaining operational issues are addressed, noting what he described as indications of clearance from environmental regulators.
“I am so sad because I understand that naa nay go-signal sa DENR nga we can already throw our garbage sa Binaliw, but wala pa na nako gihimo kay naay pipila ka mga tawo nga dili gusto. They don’t understand nga in the long run makadaot na siya sa whole institution,” he said.
The DENR, through the Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas (EMB-7), earlier issued a cease-and-desist order against the use of the SRP area as a temporary waste storage site, citing environmental violations and lack of required permits.
EMB-7 said the city failed to secure an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) before utilizing the area as a garbage holding facility.
Rizalina Saberon, chief of the EMB-7 Clearance and Permitting Division, said the city was given 60 to 90 days to remove the accumulated waste after a technical conference with local officials.
The agency also confirmed that Cebu City has begun hauling out garbage from the site and will remain under monitoring until full clearance is completed.
The SRP waste stockpile became a major concern after waste disposal operations at the Binaliw landfill were disrupted, forcing the city to temporarily relocate its garbage handling system.
Although city officials have described the SRP site as a temporary transfer point, environmental regulators maintained that storing municipal waste without permits is prohibited and may pose environmental and public health risks.
The city is now pushing for the reopening of the Binaliw landfill, which officials say would provide a more sustainable disposal option and significantly reduce hauling costs.
Archival said Cebu City generates about 700 tons of garbage daily and currently spends around P6,000 per ton to transport waste to alternative facilities.
He said resuming operations at Binaliw could cut costs by half while easing pressure on the SRP clearing efforts.
Residents and business operators have earlier raised concerns over odor and environmental impact linked to the SRP stockpile, prompting intensified calls for its immediate removal.
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