THE use of a portion of the South Road Properties (SRP) near Pond A as a temporary waste holding area for Cebu City’s garbage had earlier been disapproved by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 7.
Despite the disapproval, the City Government still proceeded with disposing of its garbage at the SRP.
In a letter dated January 15, 2026, then DENR 7 director Ma. Victoria Abrera informed Cebu City Administrator Albert Tan that the agency could not approve the City Government’s request to temporarily place collected garbage at a site beside Pond A within the SRP.
The city had proposed the site as a contingency area for waste disposal amid problems affecting its existing waste management facilities.
However, Abrera said the location failed to meet mandatory requirements under Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
A copy of the letter has recently circulated online, drawing attention to the EMB’s earlier disapproval of the proposed temporary waste holding area.
In the letter, the EMB cited several reasons for rejecting the proposal, including the site’s proximity to water bodies.
“The site is located directly beside Pond A. Environmental standards strictly prohibit waste facilities near water bodies to prevent contamination and leachate seepage into the water table and the sea,” the letter reads.
The agency also pointed out that the proposed location was incompatible with the area’s zoning and land-use designation.
Under Section 25 of RA 9003, the siting of waste transfer stations must consider the land use plan of the area.
The EMB noted that the SRP is not zoned for waste handling and that the proposed site does not meet the required environmental safety buffers.
Apart from environmental compliance issues, the EMB also raised operational concerns.
The agency said that even if the city planned to install protective liners and deodorizers, the site’s proximity to public spaces and water bodies made it unsuitable even for temporary waste storage.
The EMB also emphasized that waste stored in transfer stations must not remain in the facility for more than 24 hours and that such stations must be designed with adequate space and capacity to prevent environmental nuisance.
Given the ecological sensitivity of Pond A and the surrounding area, the EMB said these standards could not be guaranteed in the proposed location.
The EMB instead advised the Cebu City Government to identify an alternative site located farther from water sources and consistent with the city’s land use plan.
Abrera also said the agency’s technical team was ready to assist the city in evaluating a more suitable site.
Despite the earlier disapproval, the city still transported garbage to the SRP area after Abrera was reassigned from her post. The new EMB 7 regional director is John Edward Ang.
The city has been scrambling to find alternative disposal areas following the closure of the Binaliw Sanitary Landfill after the January 8 trash slide that killed 36 individuals.
The closure forced Cebu City to haul garbage to distant disposal facilities, including a site in Aloguinsan, significantly increasing hauling costs and logistical challenges after Asian Energy in Polog, Consolacion stopped accepting the city’s garbage.
In a separate letter dated February 16, Ang reported the results of a compliance monitoring conducted on January 21 at the SRP site.
The monitoring noted several environmental concerns, including the presence of mixed municipal waste, the absence of impermeable liners and leachate collection systems, and the lack of odor and vector control measures.
The EMB also flagged the site’s proximity to Pond A, which could pose risks of soil and water contamination.
Because of these findings, the EMB urged the Cebu City Government to cease waste storage activities at the site, expedite the transfer of waste to an authorized sanitary landfill, establish a compliant transfer station, and strengthen waste segregation at the barangay level.
In response, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival, in a letter dated February 20, informed the EMB that the city was arranging the transfer of waste to a facility in Aloguinsan to minimize environmental impact at the SRP site.
The City Government also said directives had been reissued to barangays to strictly enforce waste segregation at the source to reduce the volume of residual waste requiring transfer.
The city likewise requested technical guidance and support from EMB Region 7 to strengthen the implementation of environmental laws, particularly Republic Act 9003 and Republic Act 9512, or the Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008.
In a separate interview with the media on Friday, March 6, Archival said the waste currently stored at the SRP site would be removed within days and that operations there would continue only until March 15.
He clarified that a small transfer station would remain in the area, but waste would be collected and immediately transported to the disposal facility in Aloguinsan.
The city has also instructed haulers to identify alternative temporary storage locations to minimize environmental risks.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, chairperson of the council’s committee on environment, expressed concern that the SRP site appeared to function more like a dumpsite than a compliant transfer station.
Garganera said he was unaware whether the Department of Environment and Natural Resources had formally approved the site.
He also pointed to Mandaluyong City as a model, where a simple 1,000-square-meter structure allows efficient garbage collection and transfer without posing environmental risks.
For her part, City Environment and Natural Resources Office head Editha Peros confirmed that hauling operations at the SRP were ongoing and that the city had issued recommendations to expedite the removal of waste.
She added that the status of the city’s application for a concrete, ground-free transfer station, similar to the facility used in Marikina City, was still being worked out by the Department of Public Services. (CAV)