SRP expected to be clear of garbage next week

Scavengers look for anything that could still be recycled at the SRP temporary dumping site, which is expected to be clear of garbage next week. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

HEAVY equipment and dump trucks were immediately deployed by Jomara Konstruckt Corp. to the transfer station at the South Road Projects (SRP) in order to clear the area of garbage left there after the lapse of the date of the Purchase Order (PO) issued by the Cebu City government.

Jomara expects to clear the SRP transfer station by Wednesday next week, January 11.

Last Friday, the Cebu City Council during its special session approved Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s request for another PO to contract the services of Jomara Konstruckt Corp., the same private hauler contracted by the city to manage its garbage disposal last month.

Jomara Konstruckt deployed 25 dump trucks and five backhoes to the SRP area since Friday evening, hours after Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña signed the PO.

According to Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez, the mayor’s executive assistant, the private hauler has the discretion on how to allocate the 25 dump trucks to transport garbage from the SRP and from the Inayawan transfer stations to the landfill of their choice. Jomara sent two of the five backhoes to the private transfer stations in Barangay Inayawan.

Jomara personnel at the SRP yesterday said four to five of their dump trucks were able to haul the garbage and bring it to the private landfill operated by the Asian Energy Systems Corporation (AESC) in Consolacion town at around 7 a.m. yesterday.

But because of the truck ban schedules in Mandaue City, the transport of the garbage from SRP to the private dumpsite in Consolacion stopped in the afternoon.

Mandaue City sits between Cebu City and the municipality of Consolacion.

At least 10 dump trucks stayed at the SRP until 6 p.m. before proceeding to the sanitary landfill in Consolacion.

Jomara employees said that for now, the decrease in the amount of garbage left at the SRP is not yet very visible.

“Pero walay undang among hauling dinhi. Pagka-hapon, haulan namo og basura ang mga dump trucks ngare ug inig ka gabii, lahos na dayon na sila ngadto sa labayanan kay wala na may truck ban ug traffic (But hauling of garbage is nonstop. During the afternoon, garbage is loaded on the dump trucks and in the evening, the dump trucks leave for the dumping site since the truck ban is over and traffic has abated),” said a garbage hauler hired by Jomara who refused to give his name.

Fernandez said around 1,000 to 2,000 tons of trash are still at the SRP transfer station.

“The remaining trash in SRP is their backlog, and they assured us their task of clearing (the area) will be finished next week, Wednesday so that they can start regularizing their disposal system at the transfer stations in Barangay Inayawan,” Fernandez told CDN.

Jomara only hauled 5,523 tons of garbage from the SRP but managed to rent two private lots in Barangay Inayawan, last January 1, owned by the Jaca siblings and leased by Emma Ramas and Edwin Ortiz, to serve as temporary transfer stations.

Current arrangement

Since the start of the year, barangay trucks and Department of Public Services (DPS) trucks have been dumping the city’s garbage at the transfer stations at Barangay Inayawan provided by Jomara.

Now that Jomara and the city government have officially signed the PO for this month, the former is expected to lessen the amount of garbage deposited at the Inayawan transfer stations, and transport them to the private landfill in Consolacion, and at the same time haul all the garbage left at the SRP transfer station.

“Especially since the garbage in the Inayawan transfer stations were not transported to its final dumping site from January 1 to January 5 since their operations stopped last December 31, and the signing of the second PO was done just last Friday (January 6),” Fernandez added.

He said Jomara assured the city government that the trash in Inayawan will be lessened before the month ends.

Meanwhile, Fernandez said the city government will be able to award a permanent private hauler before January ends after they finalize their plans for a competitive bidding.