Amid residents’ complaints, EMB-7 continues to probe Binaliw landfill

Better roads leading to the ARN Builders operated landfill in Barangay Binaliw in Cebu City is one of the benefits the landfill offers to Mandaue City government. | Photo contributed by Joel Garganera on February 2019

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Environment Management Bureau in Central Visayas (EMB-7) will be looking into the permits of ARN Builders, the developers of the Binaliw landfill, as they continue to investigate the landfill following the complaints of the Barangay Binaliw residents of health hazards.

Engineer William Cuñado, the head of the EMB-7, told CDN Digital that he had instructed his environment investigators to look into the complaints of the Barangay Binaliw residents as stated in a formal letter written by its barangay council.

Read more: Binaliw residents’ call to Labella: Landfill threat to our health, close it

On May 27, members of the Binaliw barangay council asked the Environment Management Bureau in Central Visayas (EMB-7) to investigate the landfill’s operation since the foul smell that it had emitted was already causing respiratory illness among their constituents.

Cuñado said that in their initial report immediately following the complaints, the investigations yielded negative results and Cuñado said that the ARN Builders had complied with the environment standards for a sanitary landfill.

However, Cuñado said they were reviewing the permits of ARN Builders because they had identified expansions in the area which still needed their approval including a waste to energy plant and material recovery facility.

“We have asked that the ARN Builders to submit the necessary permits for their expansion. Hopefully, they have already complied,” said Cuñado.

Read more: Labella to order review of Binaliw landfill contract

Cuñado assured that they would continue to investigate the landfill in order to confirm the veracity of the complaints of the residents.

He said that EMB-7 had taken into serious consideration the concerns of the people and once they find any violation, they would immediately call the attention of the developers.

Cuñado said that they were also willing to invite both the complainants and the developers to discuss measures on how to improve the situation in Binaliw if indeed it would be proven that the developers did not err in their operations in the landfill.

However, if the developers are found to have violated certain environmental laws in their operations, EMB-7 will call the developers in a technical conference to address these violations.

“We will wait for the results of the evaluations and the recommendations on the matter,” said Cuñado.

Cuñado assured the residents that EMB-7 had been working on their complaints and had been also looking for ways to improve their situation. | dbs