Tomas to attend court hearing on landfill

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña (CDN FILE PHOTO)

CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña will appear at the Court of Appeals (CA) next Monday in relation to the hearing on the petition for a temporary environmental protection order (TEPO) against the city’s operation of the Inayawan landfill.

City Legal Officer Joseph Bernaldez said they already filed their reply to the petition for a Writ of Kalikasan filed by City Councilor Joel Garganera against the mayor and two other officials.

“It is our position that most, if not all of, the allegations of the petitioner Councilor Garganera are exaggerated. And the mayor said once and for all, if they (justices) want to know the true state of facts at Inayawan, it’s better for them to be there and witness for themselves if the allegations of the petitioner are true,” Bernaldez said.

Sought for comment, Garganera said he has yet to receive a copy of the city’s answer.
He disagreed with the claims of the executive department that there is no foul smell emanating from the landfill anymore.

Just the other night, he said they had dinner at a restaurant in the South Road Properties and the foul smell was still there.

“I envy the mayor because he has a superpower not to smell something like that. Good for him, he’s immune to that kind of smell,” he said.

Garganera said he is willing and waiting on the executive department to call him to a meeting to discuss a compromise and a win-win solution on the issue as recommended by the CA during its first hearing.

He said he talked with Bernaldez and Roberto Cabarrubias, head of the Department of Public Services (DPS), on the possibility of meeting and discussing the issues.
“But until now, I’m still waiting. I’m always available, wherever, whenever,” he said.
He said the findings against the continued operation of the landfill were made by regional agencies like the Department of Health, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Environmental Management Bureau.

Garganera also criticized Osmeña for his proposed P600 million budget for the rehabilitation and closure of the Inayawan landfill which he included in his proposed P7.2 billion budget for next year.

“It’s full of hypocrisy. He’s always saying that the city has no money but he has all these proposals. He just wants to stick it out with the Inayawan landfill,” he said.