Official: City garbage disposal more efficient

A City Hall official said the increased  volume of  garbage in Cebu City shows “more efficiency of collection”, not  failure of the city’s solid waste management program.

Since September, no city funds have been spent for  garbage services leaving trash uncollected or delayed in collection on streets and neighborhoods amid a budget impasse in the City Council.

“Our garbage increased because our collection improved,” said   lawyer Jade Ponce, head of the the city’s Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB).

“Number two, we have closed the Inayawan landfill. Ergo, natarong na nato ug kuha ang mga basura (we improved the collection of trash.) The garbage that used to go to  Inayawan is now being measured and weighed and transported to Consolacion,” Ponce told reporters.

He was reacting to the privilege speech of  Councilor Nida Cabrera, who asked why garbage volume has gone up from 67,000 tons last year to almost double with  122,000 tons from January to

September alone this year based on records of the  Department of Public Services (DPS.

“Are we really implementing our waste reduction program or do we just want more garbage to dispose so that we’d  have to  pay more  hauling fees?” she asked.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama repeated his call for the City  Council to approve the delayed  P2.8-billion Supplemental Budget 1 which includes an P87-million outlay  for garbage tipping fees.

An initial P51 million was approved in the annual budget out of the original request for  P120 million.

Used up by  April, the City Council approved an additional P50 million in May for private haulers and garbage tipping fees at the Consolacion sanitary landfill to last  another three to four  months.

City Administrator Lucelle Mercado  explained that the P50 million which Councilor Mary Ann De Los Santos asked about in a privilege speech last Wednesday was already  spent by the city for services in May to  August.

“The additional P47 million outlay that was bidded out is supposed to be for the remaining months of the year. But it was canceled since the SB 1 has not been approved. The P47 million is supposed to be sourced from the SB1,” Mercado said.

No details were available as of press time about the  bidding,  who won the contract, and how it was conducted without an existing fund source.

The mayor continued to pressure the council to approve SB 1, amid legal questions raised by his critics in court about the   legality of  the fund source — sales proceeds from two lots of the South

Road Properties which were sold in a public bidding instead of through an unsolicited bid process.

Mayor Rama has held the budget delay  over the heads of his opponents as an election issue.

“If they are not sensitive enough, then I’ll take  on behalf of the people of the City of Cebu, parens patriae. I move for the approval of the SB…and I am representing the people of Cebu City,” he told reporters.

Rama said the council should  either approve, slash or disapprove the SB1, and not delay it further.

“Do not be more popish than the pope. They play a supporting role. They cannot be the main actor because the actor is the office of the executive,” he said.

If the council decides to partially approve the SB1,  it could be vetoed by the mayor.

A  two-thirds vote or at least 12 out of the 17 councilors is needed to override a veto.

At prsent the  the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) bloc has only 10 councilors.

Asked about this scenario, the mayor said, “They should never think that way. That is cowardice. That is unpatriotic.  That is economic sabotage.”

Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella said the council should do its job of acting on the budget proposal  under the Local Government Code.

“Assuming they cannot override (the mayor’s veto), assuming they cannot muster enough numbers, so let it be. Anyway the people will decide the performance of the executive on how they would apply and implement the budget which underwent the regular process. It is up for the people to decide,” he said.

He said the majority bloc should just file cases  with the Ombudsman, the court or  the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) if they are not satisifed.