Binaliw again? Archival hesitant as DENR OKs use of landfill, shuts SRP

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City may resume depositing wastes in the partially reopened Binaliw landfill. But Mayor Nestor Archival admitted on Friday that opposition from some sectors continues to keep the city from using the facility, prolonging a waste disposal crisis that could cost taxpayers millions.

Archival made the admission even after environmental regulators granted conditional clearance for the resumption of operations in portions of the Binaliw landfill months after the January trash slide that killed 36 people.

“Ang Aloguinsan ra gyud ang gilabayan ron sa basura sa Cebu City, and I am so sad because I understand that naa nay go-signal sa DENR nga we can already throw our garbage sa Binaliw, but wala pa na nako gihimo kay naay pipila ka mga tawo nga dili gusto,” Archival said in an interview on Friday, June 19.

(We are still bringing Cebu City’s garbage only to Aloguinsan, and I am saddened because I understand that the DENR has already given the go-signal for us to dispose of waste in Binaliw, but I have not done so because some people do not want it.)

READ: DENR-7 orders stop to Cebu City’s SRP waste transfer station operations

He argued that continued resistance ignores the broader consequences facing the city.

“They don’t understand nga going further makadaot na siya sa whole institution,” he added.

(They don’t understand that, in the long run, this could harm the entire institution.)

DENR says Binaliw may reopen

On May 1, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas (DENR-EMB 7) announced the partial lifting of its cease-and-desist order against the Prime Integrated Waste Management Inc. landfill in Barangay Binaliw.

The EMB said the operator had complied with key remediation measures and operational requirements following the January disaster.

EMB Regional Director John Edward Ang said the agency balanced environmental safeguards with Cebu City’s urgent need for a functioning disposal facility.

“Cebu has an urgent need for a functional waste disposal facility to handle the city’s waste and our decision followed a careful evaluation of the company’s compliance measures,” Ang said in a statement.

READ: Cebu City ‘Ecostation’ may cut landfill-bound waste by 15 tons daily

The reopening remains subject to strict monitoring and continued compliance with rehabilitation and stabilization requirements.

Opposition persists

Despite the regulatory clearance, Archival said lingering public concerns over the January tragedy continue to delay the city’s return to Binaliw.

“Naa na man tay go-signal, but gusto man gyud nila ipa-verify so nag-create ta og Technical Working Committee para lang gyud ma-satisfy ang mga tawo kay naa lagi daw nangamatay,” he said.

(We already have the go-signal, but some people still want further verification, so we created a Technical Working Committee to satisfy concerns because lives were lost there.)

The mayor said City Hall created the committee as part of its due diligence eff

orts and to review all technical documents related to the facility’s reopening.

“Tungod lagi naay mga tawo nga dili gusto so akong gihimo due diligence lang gyud, naghimo ko og team sa mga documents,” he said.

(Because some people oppose it, I am simply conducting due diligence by forming a team to review the documents.)

Archival expressed frustration that opposition continued even after the City Council previously sought DENR intervention to accelerate Binaliw’s reopening, and regulators eventually granted the request.

“In fact, ang council nagsulti, there was this resolution nga hangyoan ang DENR mapadali ang Binaliw maka-open na. Karon naa nay resolution ang DENR, nagreklamo na sad adto na sad sa Binaliw,” he said.

(In fact, the council passed a resolution asking the DENR to expedite the reopening of Binaliw. Now that the DENR has issued its resolution, there are complaints again about Binaliw.)

A costly delay

The hesitation comes at a steep price.

Since the closure of the Binaliw landfill following the January 8 trash slide, Cebu City has relied largely on hauling garbage to Aloguinsan, around 60 kilometers away.

The arrangement costs the city ₱3,906 per ton, more than three times the ₱1,100 per ton previously paid at Binaliw.

Archival earlier estimated that maintaining the current setup could push annual waste disposal expenses to ₱1.2 billion, more than double the city’s ₱517-million solid waste management budget.

The financial strain has also contributed to the city’s controversial use of Pond A at the South Road Properties (SRP) as a temporary waste transfer area, which later drew sanctions from DENR-7.

SRP cleanup ahead of schedule?

Meanwhile, Archival said the city expects to clear the accumulated waste at the SRP well before the 90-day deadline imposed by environmental regulators.

“Gitagaan tag 90 days sa DENR, and we will work on it. But I think we will be finished in the first week of July,” he said.

(The DENR gave us 90 days, and we will work on it. But I think we will finish by the first week of July.)

“The 90 days, clearing na, but sa wala pay 90 days, clear na na siya,” he added. (The 90-day period is for clearing operations, but the site will already be cleared before then.)

Once the stockpile is removed, Archival said the city plans to transport waste directly to a landfill rather than use temporary staging areas.

“Ato ng i-diretso ang mga basura sa landfill,” he said.

(We will send the garbage directly to the landfill.)

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