Cebu City won’t cancel contract with Inayawan Transfer Station contractor amid controversies

By: Dyrecka Letigio - 3 years ago

Trash is piling up at the Inayawan landfill as seen in this photo taken on June 22, 2021. CDN Digital photo | Delta Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — There is no compelling reason for the Cebu City government to cancel its contract with the contractor of the Inayawan Transfer Station.

This was the statement of City Administrator Floro Casas, Jr., on June 2, 2021, despite allegations that the contractor allegedly failed to pay the Binaliw Landfill management causing the landfill to refuse garbage from the city.

The contractor has previously explained its side saying that they are currently resolving the issue and in the meantime, they are dumping the city’s garbage in a landfill in Consolacion town.

“Wala mi nakita nga reason nga iterminate. Unless there is a compelling reason to terminate, we will not. Ang contractor magpabilin hangtud moexpire ang kontrata,” said Casas.

Aside from the private contractual issues between the Inayawan Transfer Station contractor and Binaliw Landfill, Vice Mayor Michael Rama recently raised issues about the contractor as well.

He notes certain stipulations of the contract between the city and the Inayawan Transfer Station contractor saying that the latter has not delivered its obligations to the city particularly in the number of trucks servicing the city and the presence of proper transfer stations in the city’s two districts.

However, the Department of Public Services (DPS) has insisted to the council that the contractor has passed its post-qualification assessment prior to the awarding of the contract.

The City Council will conduct a session hearing with the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) to investigate these alleged contractual anomalies.

For now, Casas said the contractor has been able to comply with its basic obligations to the city of collecting, hauling, and dumping the garbage and the problem regarding the final disposal has been resolved in some ways.

DPS Head John Jigo Dacua said that the situation in the transfer station is slowly improving as the contractor promised normal operations within two weeks.

As for the regular collection in the city’s streets and residential areas, Dacua said it has not been affected by the transfer station controversy and the collection continues normally. /rcg