Cebu City Administrator Briccio Joseph Boholst began reviewing documents covering the City’s P130-million outstanding obligation to Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Cebu for the Binaliw sanitary landfill.
The P130-million unpaid debt legally prevents Cebu City from using the Binaliw facility, forcing City Hall to haul daily trash 60 kilometers away to Aloguinsan.
City officials are evaluating a proposed P350-million to P400-million waste-processing project and encouraging barangays to increase waste segregation to reduce landfill reliance.
CEBU City Administrator Briccio Joseph Boholst has started reviewing documents covering the City’s P130-million outstanding obligation to Prime Integrated Waste Solutions (PWS) Cebu as the administration of Mayor Nestor Archival works to address its garbage disposal concerns and evaluate alternative waste management systems.
Kenneth Siasar, chief of staff of Mayor Archival, said the review aims to determine which parts of the documents need correction before the City can move forward with its outstanding account.
The obligation dates back to the previous administration and involves PrimeWaste, the operator of the Binaliw sanitary landfill.
The unpaid debt has thrown Cebu City’s garbage disposal into disarray, forcing City Hall to haul its daily trash some 60 kilometers to Aloguinsan, a town in southwestern Cebu.
The city owes PWS Cebu P130 million, and that debt legally bars it from using the Binaliw landfill. But the operator didn’t refuse to serve the city. Operations first stopped because regulators issued a cease-and-desist order after a deadly trash slide at the landfill last January.
Despite the ongoing document review, the City has yet to report progress in negotiations with the landfill operator.
“As of now, we have no update regarding the negotiation between the Cebu City government and Prime Waste,” Siasar said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
While the financial issue remains unresolved, City Hall is also looking at measures to reduce the volume of garbage requiring disposal and lessen the City’s dependence on landfill facilities.
Summit
The City recently convened a solid waste management summit to discuss ways for barangays to reduce waste generation and expand diversion efforts, including segregation and recycling.
Siasar said the administration wants barangays to take greater responsibility for managing their own waste instead of relying primarily on landfills.
“We organized a summit because we observed a reduction in garbage production per barangay, ensuring we do not rely solely on our landfill,” he said.
“If we can make each barangay self-reliant in reducing garbage and managing waste diversion, that would be much better,” he added.
Apart from reducing waste at the source, the City is evaluating whether to secure another disposal facility or continue with its existing landfill arrangements.
Siasar said proposals for long-term solutions have already been submitted to the Mayor’s Office, but these cannot be implemented immediately and still require assessment.
Proposal
The City is also reviewing a waste-processing project previously endorsed by Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña, with Archival weighing whether the proposed system would be advantageous, efficient and effective for Cebu City.
“The evaluation is ongoing to determine if that is advantageous to the City, as well as how efficient and effective its implementation would be,” Siasar said.
The project is estimated to cost between P350 million and P400 million and is being considered for phased implementation. City officials are also exploring possible funding sources, including loans, while awaiting support from the City Council.
As part of the evaluation, suppliers may be invited to present their waste-processing technologies before the City Council.
The presentations would allow lawmakers to examine available equipment and compare which systems could best address the city’s waste management requirements.
The proposed system remains under evaluation, with no final decision on its implementation disclosed by Siasar.
For now, the review of the PWS Cebu account and the assessment of alternative waste management measures remain separate but related challenges for the City as it works to resolve its current disposal difficulties while planning for its long-term garbage needs. / CAV