Tomas has final say over fate of Inayawan landfill

DOH Regional Director Jaime Bernadas insists their report is merely a recommendation given to the Cebu City Council in aid of legislation or to improve the landfill.
(CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

The Department of Health in the region (DOH-7) may have “highly recommended” the closure of the Inawayan landfill, but it is the city which has the final say.

DOH Regional Director Dr. Jaime Bernadas said health and sanitation is a devolved function and is considered a primary mandate of the local government.

He also said their report was merely a recommendation based on their findings.

“Sanitation, I say, is a devolved function,” he said.

“Ang ga-ensure ana, ang naa sa frontline mao ang atong local government so ang atong (DOH) action would only be in support of local governments.” (The one ensuring the performance of that function is the local government, so the DOH’s action would only be in support of local governments.)

DOH-7 released its report on the Inayawan landfill, “highly recommending” its immediate closure due to the lack of sanitary requirements and several environmental, health and community safety issues.

Dr. Bernadas said the DOH is a technical support body. The decision whether to close the landfill or continue using it lies with the local government.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña had earlier complained that the DOH report was first given to Councilor Joel Garganera, head of the committee on environment of the council. Garganera had been strongly urging the closure of the landfill.

It was Garganera who had requested the DOH to look into the safety of using the Inayawan landfill.

According to Bernadas, they did not look at political affiliations when they made the recommendation. He said the DOH is mandated by law to answer all queries and complaints, whether signed or unsigned, anonymous or known, within 72 hours.

He pointed out that Garganera, as member of the city council and the one who made the inquiry, is entitled to a copy of the report, containing their recommendations. He said copies of the same report were also furnished to the office of the city mayor as well as the city health office and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources through the Environmental Management Board.

“Kung mangutana ta sa kadtong gi-issue sa atong sanitary engineer, that was in response to a query,” he said.

“The query was made by a city councilor of Cebu City, in which perspective we were looking at, in support of improvement of the landfill. As a member of the city council, we were expecting that the findings, that our response to the query, will be used in aid of legislation and in aid of improvement to the landfill. So it was intended for the City Council to evaluate the recommendations that we have made through our regional sanitary engineer, copy furnished the city health office and the DENR or the EMB. So all the findings there were supposedly in aid of actions of the local sanggunian, nothing more, nothing less.”

However, despite the recommendation for the closure of the landfill, Bernades admited that looking for another landfill site is not an easy task as it entails several environment compliance requirements in addition to other technical requirements.

Bernades said that a transition period, where a thorough study of an alternative site as well as the improvement of the current landfill site, is necessary before it can be transferred.
“So it’s not easy to transfer the Inayawan landfill,” he said.

“You have to balance the cause and the effect of the disadvantages of non-compliance with the requirements of sanitation, but it is still up to the local government. We will always be in support to whatever is requested of us,” he added.