City Hall, landfill opponents told to submit position papers

Scavengers search for things that they can use or sell from garbage dumped by a Cebu City garbage truck at the Inayawan landfill. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

The Court of Appeals (CA) ordered contending parties to submit their position papers on the petition for a Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) on the Inayawan Landfill within 15 days for resolution by justices on the case.

The Solicitor General’s Office, which represents the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on the case, will be mediating with both parties of the case for a possible agreement.

If all parties come up with an agreement, the agreement will be honored by the court. However, if they don’t come up with an agreement, the court will resolve the case.

During the hearing, it was agreed by all parties that the Inayawan landfill should be closed. What was argued was the deadline on when the city should close the dumpsite permanently.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña asked the CA justices to give his administration until January 1, 2017 to close it. He said the city needs to look for a budget, realign it and bid it out for landfill owners as well as garbage transporters.

With government bureaucracy, he said it can’t be done so quickly.

Councilor Joel Garganera asked the court to issue TEPO immediately since every single day that the city continues to dump at the landfill only raises the health risks among the residents around the area.

Osmeña said while he’s willing to sit down with the DENR and the OSG, he said he doesn’t want to discuss with Garganera.

Garganera said it’s better for them to just wait for the CA’s ruling after they file their respective position papers. He said the CA justices are already well aware of the issue for them to decide on it.