Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival on Monday expressed confidence that the city will clear the remaining garbage stockpile at the South Road Properties (SRP) well before the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) deadline.
Archival said cleanup operations remain on schedule despite continuing complaints from nearby businesses and residents over the odor from the temporary waste holding area.
“We’re very sure about it,” Archival told reporters during a press conference on Monday, June 29, when asked whether the city could comply with the DENR order.
The mayor reiterated that Cebu City intends to fully comply with the cease-and-desist order issued by the Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas (EMB 7), which directed the city to stop using a portion of the SRP as a temporary waste storage site.
Earlier, EMB 7 gave the city 60 to 90 days to remove the accumulated garbage after determining that the facility was operating without the required environmental permits.
Archival previously said the city expects to clear the remaining stockpile by the first week of July, well ahead of the maximum period allowed by the DENR.
Responding to complaints from nearby establishments, the mayor said City Hall has been regularly meeting with business locators at the SRP to address their concerns.
“Yes, we have meetings all the time, every Tuesday, with the locators,” he said.
Residents, joggers, motorists, and business owners have repeatedly complained about the foul odor coming from the temporary waste holding area, particularly in sections of the SRP frequently used for recreation and business activities.
The SRP facility began operating as a temporary transfer station after Cebu City lost access to the Binaliw sanitary landfill following the Jan. 8 trash slide that claimed the lives of 36 workers and one rescuer.
Since then, the city has been hauling its garbage to Aloguinsan while temporarily stockpiling part of its daily waste collection at the SRP before transport.
The arrangement prompted EMB 7 to issue a cease-and-desist order after finding that the city had no Environmental Compliance Certificate or other environmental permits authorizing the area to be used for temporary waste storage.
Although City Hall has maintained that the SRP serves only as a transfer station and not a dumpsite, environmental regulators said municipal waste cannot be stored at the site without the required environmental clearances.
Archival said reopening the Binaliw landfill remains the city’s long-term solution, as it would significantly reduce hauling costs and help restore Cebu City’s regular waste disposal operations.
In the meantime, he said the city remains focused on removing the remaining garbage at the SRP and complying with all requirements imposed by the DENR.
Photo from JUAN CARLO DE VELA
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