WITH the lockdown of the private sanitary landfill in Consolacion after its hillside portion collapsed on Saturday night, Cebu City and Mandaue City have to endure keeping their tons of trash until this landfill reopens. Cebu City and Mandaue City throw their garbage to this facility.
The tragedy in this private landfill was only known to media on Monday. Danilo Capangpangan, Consolacion’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer, said a truck and a driver were buried. The driver identified as Rodolfo Malasaga, 34, was missing since Saturday afternoon.
It’s a relief if it is true that there is only one casualty because the information I received on Saturday night through a text message that I relayed to the editorial office of this paper stated that there were four trucks that were buried by the landslide.
Capangpangan revealed that the rain in the past two days led to the collapse of the hillside of the landfill. This is the first incident since the start of the landfill’s operations nine years ago, said Capangpangan.
This private sanitary landfill that receives Cebu City’s tons of trash was the source of dispute between Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and the opposition councilors. The contract with this private sanitary landfill was enteredinto and executed by the City during the time of then mayor Mike Rama.
Mayor Osmeña contended that the delivery of the tons of trash to this landfill was illegal because there was no contract between the City and the facility. But for the lack of the sanitary landfill then, Cebu City continued to deliver its tons of garbage to this facility. With the temporary closure of this facility, then where would the city dispose of its garbage?
This is perhaps one of the reasons that since Sunday the collection of garbage has not been regular. The city’s garbage is an issue that should not be tackled only during election time, between or among the contending candidates, but as a matter of urgency as it impacts on the city’s sanitation and the people’s health.
The present state of the private landfill in Consolacion is something for the planners and decision makers of the neighboring cities to think about now that the facility is temporarily closed. I was told that a politician promised that if he wins these elections he will close down the new sanitary landfill in Cebu City for no sensible reasons at all. So, where to dispose of the city’s garbage?
****
There’s so much speculation on what President Rodrigo Duterte and Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Chief Royina Garma would talk about Monday as the feisty police chief was directed to report to Malacañang. In an interview, Garma told the press that if asked she would tell President Duterte of the alleged illegal activities of Mayor Osmeña.
The city’s police under the leadership of Garma have not been in good terms with the mayor. Recently, the city mayor accused the police of harassing his barangay captains and leaders in the city’s mountain barangays. But the police denied the accusations.
Surprisingly, it appears that Mayor Osmeña has the support of Sen. Ping Lacson. In his Tweet on Monday, the senator asked the Comelec to step in and investigate the alleged partisan activities of the local police. The Comelec “should step in before things get out of hand,” Lacson tweeted.
Just recently, Osmeña and Garma have filed charges and counter-charges on the so-called harassment by both sides during this campaign period. The charges were triggered by the checkpoint conducted by the police on the streets near to where the political rally of the mayor and his party.
Be that as it may, my only wish, and I believe this is also everyone’s desire, that the meeting between President Duterte and Garma would be for the peaceful conduct of the elections on May 13. Let’s just cross our fingers!