Tomas: Pagcor oks use of P26.8M for garbage disposal

Pending approval of the P151.2 million that Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña is asking for, City Hall is turning to its share of Pagcor funds to take care of its garbage expenses for at least a month.

Osmeña said Pagcor already approved the use of P26.8 million from their aid to City Hall to pay the services of a private hauler that will be tasked to transport the city’s wastes from a temporary transfer station located inside the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill to a private landfill facility in Concolacion town.

But Osmeña said that he is still waiting for the official communication from Pagcor authorizing the city’s emergency procurement charge.

City Hall is getting a share of P4 million per month from the operations of casinos in the city.

Ronald Malacora of the General Services Office said they will have to enter into a new contract with a garbage hauler when the city’s existing contract with Pasajero Motors (Pamocor) ends on July 27.

But city hall no longer has funds to take care of its garbage disposal needs.

Osmeña asked for a P151.2 million allocation, which is included in his P716.5 million Supplemental Budget 1, to pay for the services of a private hauler until the end of the year.

But his budget request has remained pending before the City Council.

With less than two weeks before the city’s contract with Pamocor ends, Malacora said, they already started to canvass the services of at least three contractors that are likely to meet the city’s garbage disposal needs.

But Councilors insisted on the need to first secure Pagcor’s consent on the use of their funds for an emergency garbage disposal service procurement.
A new Pagcor guideline released in April requires the passage of an ordinance to authorize disbursement of Pagcor funds.

Previous charges made to the city’s share of Pagcor funds were only supported by council resolutions.