Cebu City Council sets April 23 executive session to discuss Inayawan landfill rehab plan

The rehabilitation of the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill is set to start as soon as members of the Cebu City Council approves the plan prepared by Full Advantage Philippines International Inc. (FAPII). /Cebu Daily News file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The approval of the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill rehabilitation plan was temporarily placed on hold after opposition Councilors demanded to first see the details of the proposal.

“We are trying to approve the final plans for the landfill but the plan is not attached in the resolution (seeking its approval),” said Barug PDP-Laban Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera during their March 26 session.

Councilor Raymond Garcia, another Barug PDP-Laban ally, and Majority Floor Leader Margot Osmeña of the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) agreed with Pesquera.

Taking the cue from his colleagues, Councilor Jerry Guardo, chairperson of the Committee on Environment, called for an executive session on April 23 with Full Advantage Philippines International Inc. (FAPII) that prepared the rehab plan and officials of the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) to discuss details  of the proposal.

Guardo, a BOPK ally, was author of the resolution that seeks to already approve the landfill rehabilitation plan prepared by FAPII during the Council’s March 26 session.

But with Pesquera’s concerns, Councilors agreed to set an April 23 executive session with FAPII and Cenro.

FAPII is proposing the establishment of a waste-to-energy (WTE) facility at the landfill’s service area but the city government will be given the option to decide on how to go about its development into an industrial or economic zone, recreational eco-park, or renewable energy center.

Nida Cabrera, Cenro head, said in a separate interview that the rehabilitation plans includes the construction of the P36 million concrete perimeter fence that will secure the 15-hectare landfill.  The actual cost of rehabilitation is estimated to reach around P80 million.

The Inayawan landfill was closed on December 15, 2016 after the court of Appeals favored the petition for the issuance of a Writ of Kalikasan filed by Councilor Joel Garganera.

The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) monitors the implementation of the Writ of Kalikasan to make sure that the city no longer dumps garbage into the area. /dcb