The Cebu City Council passed a resolution by Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr. seeking a Department of Environment and Natural Resources Central Office investigation into the Environmental Management Bureau 7 for missing two council activities regarding the Binaliw landfill.
The Office of the Building Official and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office noted the need for further geotechnical assessments, safety systems, and verification of gas-venting and leachate management structures at the landfill operated by Prime Waste Solutions Inc.
PWS Cebu manager Niño Abellana stated that the specific landfill cell has a capacity of about 151,000 metric tons under its amended environmental compliance certificate, while the council awaits clarity due to uncertain density assumptions.
THE Cebu City Council is seeking a Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Central Office investigation into the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7’s failure to attend two council activities concerning the Binaliw landfill.
Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr. authored an approved resolution seeking the investigation into EMB 7’s absence from the council’s Sept. 8 executive session and the Sept. 2 joint ocular inspection of the landfill, where its safety, rehabilitation and continued operation were assessed.
The City Council invited EMB 7 due to its regulatory oversight of the landfill, including environmental compliance and the conditions permitting Prime Waste Solutions Inc. (PWS) Cebu to operate while rehabilitation continues.
Agency accountability
No EMB 7 representative attended either activity. Alcover’s resolution asks the DENR Central Office to determine whether EMB 7 received proper notice, whether its absence was authorized or justified, and whether administrative accountability should be imposed, if warranted. It also asks the agency to submit a written report on the investigation and actions taken.
The Office of the Building Official said it observed substantial excavation and reconfiguration of the accumulated waste mass following the Jan. 8 garbage slide, but did not have the technical mandate to certify its geotechnical or overall stability.
The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) recommended further engineering and geotechnical assessment, citing the need for early-warning and safety systems, fire-prevention measures, continued monitoring, and assessment of rainfall, water accumulation and loading. It also said portions of the upper waste pile could not be fully assessed because the inspection team could not access them.
System verification
The landfill’s gas and leachate management systems also raised questions. CDRRMO personnel said they did not observe methane gas vent pipes in the areas they inspected. PWS Cebu manager Niño Abellana, however, said vent pipes had been installed at the top of the landfill and presented photographs.
On leachate, CDRRMO personnel said they observed a pipe that a PWS Cebu engineer said would convey leachate to a retention pond. The system had not yet been connected during the inspection.
The council requested PWS Cebu documents, including schematics for the landfill’s gas-venting and leachate systems.
Abellana also said the particular landfill cell has a capacity of about 151,000 metric tons under its amended environmental compliance certificate (ECC). He said capacity estimates depend on waste compaction and density.
Abellana could not say with certainty whether the density assumption used by PWS Cebu was the same one used by EMB 7 in determining the ECC capacity, prompting councilors to seek clarification from the agency.
The 151,000-metric-ton figure refers to the capacity cited by PWS for the particular cell and is separate from the 500-metric-ton daily limit imposed after the lifting of the cease-and-desist order.
For now, the council has yet to determine whether Binaliw is safe for continued large-scale garbage disposal. Its technical offices have recommended further engineering and geotechnical assessment, corrective measures and continued monitoring before a definitive safety determination can be made. / CAV