Officials of Barangay Guba, Cebu City, have denied allegations that they kept residents uninformed about a proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) project.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, Barangay Captain Orlan Herrera said public hearings were held. He also said the barangay council has not yet issued an official endorsement or rejection of the city-led initiative.
Herrera said the issue has been blown out of proportion after a recent press conference led by Barangay Councilor Elizabeth Archival, who has publicly opposed the project and initiated a signature campaign against it.
The proposed project would sit on a six-to seven-hectare property in Lower Agnawi, Barangay Guba.
“We were saddened because there was a press conference (last Sept. 29) … and we were not officially invited,” Herrera said.
“They called us pro-WTE and claimed we signed something,” he added.
“We are not technical experts, that’s why we need to hear from the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and other concerned agencies before deciding,” Herrera said.
He said the next round of public hearings, where representatives from national agencies are expected to attend, is tentatively scheduled on October 25 and 26.
Herrera also said barangay officials conducted meetings in every sitio to inform residents about the project and denied accusations of secrecy.
He said the first public hearing on the WTE project, held in late August 2025, which included officials from nearby barangays, was open to the public.
“They said the project was a cooking show as it was already approved and that money had been received… I challenge her (Archival) to show the document. The proposal is still at the barangay council level, with no resolution or permit yet issued,” Herrera said.
Herrera added that the press conference called by Elizabeth Archival had insinuated that the barangay captain was involved in the lot purchase for the proposed site.
“If she is against it, why didn’t she bring it up in session?” he asked.
Herrera said the project has no barangay council approval, DENR permit, or even a barangay resolution issued for the WTE facility. The project remains in its proposal stage, awaiting further deliberation.
The Cebu City Government’s WTE plan, the first introduced after the closure of the Inayawan landfill in 2018, was intended to convert solid waste into energy through an incineration process.
The project, a joint venture initiative of the Cebu City Government and New Sky Energy Philippines, has been repeatedly delayed amid lack of necessary permits and documents since 2022.
Some barangay officials and residents have urged Mayor Nestor Archival to reconsider their plea to not proceed with the WTE project.
“I am waiting for the result of the public hearing, as it is a crucial document along with the ECC (Environmental Compliance Certificate) for the project to proceed, because the ECC also requires a barangay resolution approving the project, which will be based on the public hearing,” said Archival.
Archival added that he cannot entirely decide if the project will proceed or not as this was approved through a JVA initiative in 2022. He recalled his opposition to the project when he was still city councilor. / EHP