Repollo to DPS: Look at the situation at the Inayawan transfer station

CDN File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Piles of garbage can be found at the transfer station that is located in Barangay Inayawan in Cebu City.

And its presence have been causing so much inconvenience to the 5, 000 to 6, 000 households that are nearby, says Barangay Captain Kirk Bryan Repollo.

Repollo also complained that barangay officials were not consulted before Department of Public Services (DPS) authorized the deposit of garbage at the transfer station.

These garbage should have been brought to the city’s disposal area located in the mountain barangay of Binaliw, he said.

“[The] Binaliw landfill is not receiving anymore [the] garbage transfer from the city, and the standing order is to deliver [garbage] to the transfer station in Inayawan. And there was no coordination with the garbage disposal, unsay nahitabo? Nganong di na modawat?Ang existing transfer station kay puno na gyud… Kami sa Inayawan ang mag-suffer pirmi (what happened? why won’t they accept [the garbage] the existing transfer station is already full.  We in Inayawan are made to suffer.),” he said.

Repollo raised his concerns during the general assembly of the Liga ng mga Barangay – Cebu City Chapter that was held on Monday, June 21.

Liga ng mga Barangay – Cebu City Chapter assembly that was held on Monday, June 21. | Mae Fhel Gom-os

Transfer Station

Councilor Franklin Ong, who is also the Liga president, said in an interview that he only learned of the issue on Sunday, June  20.

Ong said he was surprised to learn that garbage collectors again deposit garbage at the transfer station in Barangay Inayawan since Thursday, June 17.

Aside from the fact the landfill and its transfer station has already reached its full capacity, Ong said, garbage collectors had to again endure long queues for them to enter the city-owned facility.

“From this, we would like to check. We will check and see what’s really the reason behind. We hope that we can help unsay matabang nato (in whatever way we could). We have to work together with this para masulbad nato atong problema sa atong solid waste management sa siyudad (in order for us to address the city’s problems with its solid waste management),” Ong added.

Garbage Disposal

During the assembly, Repollo said, he received information that the city’s allocation for garbage disposal was already depleted, the reason why its garbage is no longer accepted at the Binaliw facility.

A source told him that the city government allocated P373.63 million for the disposal of its garbage into the private facility in Barangay Binaliw.

The city brings at least 1, 200 tons of garbage per day to the facility, he said.

But just recently, the said allocation was already used up.

However, he admitted that his information is still subject to verification.

“Because what happened is, there’s this private company, which is [the] existing contractor for the transfer station. They are the ones who are renting or they are paying the Binaliw Landfill facility so that the garbages from the transfer station will be delivered to Binaliw.  So ang Binaliw maoy final receiver sa basura (The Binalaw [facility] if the final recipient of our garbage),” he added.

Grace Luardo, head of the  Garbage Collection and Disposal Division of DPS, said during the Liga assembly that it was Atty. John Jigo Dacua, the DPS head, who ordered that garbage be brought to the Inayawan transfer station.

“Modawat man ang Binaliw, pero ang atoa… kanang dapat moagi gyud kuno og transfer station, dili daw diretso didto. Gipa-stop ni Atty. Jigo kay mao lagi dapat moagi gyud daw sa transfer station sa Inayawan,” said Luardo.

(Our garbage is still accepted at the Binaliw [facility] but these will have to be brought to the transfer station first, not sent directly there. Atty. Jigo decide to have the practice of directly bringing garbage there stopped because of the need to first bring these to the transfer station in Inayawan.)

Luardo said that constant travels to Barangay Binaliw has already caused at least three garbage trucks to be destroyed.

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