Residents of Barangay Panoypoy in Consolacion, Cebu Province, have raised concerns about water pollution they believe is caused by the Binaliw Sanitary Landfill in Cebu City.
Due to this, they are compelled to purchase clean water for their daily needs and consumption.
Panoypoy Barangay Captain Ares Balaba Jr. said in an interview with Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia's executive assistant Ramil Ayuman on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, that the residents can no longer use the natural water surrounding them.
The Consolacion village is adjacent to Barangay Binaliw in Cebu City.
Balaba said they will seek help from Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia and Municipal Mayor Teresa Alegado in resolving the situation in Barangay Panoypoy.
According to the barangay captain, the village has three springs as its natural sources, but they are unusable now.
“Ang tubig di na gyud safety (the water is not safe now),” said the barangay captain.
Balaba said that when they used the contaminated water in steaming rice, the rice turned yellowish.
He said that in July, they have been in dialogue with ARN Central Waste Management Inc. (ACI), who formerly managed the landfill, preceding Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PWS), but their concerns remain unaddressed.
Balaba said that the water should not have been affected if the firms had not started their business in the landfill.
“Dili sa among barangay nang negosyoha, sa Cebu City na. Ang epekto lang sa basura naa sa amoang barangay (it is not our barangay’s business, it’s from Cebu City. The effects just come to our barangay),” said Balaba.
He added that the residents in the barangay are greatly affected by the garbage at the landfill without even benefiting from it.
Garcia earlier said that he is set to visit the Barangay Binaliw sanitary landfill following complaints from residents of the persisting stench believed to be emanating from the site.
He said that he would write a letter to Prime Integrated Waste Solution Inc., saying that he would visit their plant to see if the foul smell comes from their operations.
He said that by the time he visits there, he will be bringing with him the heads of City Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Public Services.
He added that he will also bring with him other concerned departments that can give him more information regarding the situation at the landfill.
“To see is to believe; to smell is to believe,” said Garcia.
Also, a complaint lodged against PWS before the Environmental Management Bureau 7 (EMB 7) for alleged environmental violations, namely, failure to appoint a new Pollution Control Officer, violation of the amended Environmental Compliance Certificate terms and conditions, non-renewed Wastewater Discharge Permit, which was valid only until Feb. 11, 2023, and failure to notify Environmental Management Bureau 7 of the transfer of ownership within a specified 15-day period, and of the non-submission of the semi-annual Compliance Monitoring Report covering July-December 2023.
But for PWS, the allegations of Engineer Arnold Espinoza, a former shareholder of the ACI, are “misleading and malicious.”
PWS, in a press release sent to SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, said that PWS acquired ACI and its waste facility in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City, in 2022, with a commitment to implement a transformation strategy that would upgrade the site to a modern resource recovery facility.
It stated that claims made by former ACI shareholders led by Arnold Espinoza raise questions, especially considering that they operated the landfill for three years, receiving complaints related to compliance with environmental laws.
With regards to the appointment of a Pollution Control Officer (PCO), PWS has a PCO officially accredited by the EMB 7. PWS stated that they will be more than pleased to provide a copy of their PCO’s certificate valid through July 2026, the statement said.
PWS, through its accredited PCO, has also submitted its Compliance Monitoring Report for the period of July to December 2023, contrary to the allegation, it added.
On the transfer of ownership, PWS would like to point out that under EMB Memorandum Circular No. 2021-05, the transfer or change requires a letter of request from the original holder of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), in this case, the previous leadership of ACI through Espinoza, it also said.
PWS Cebu is already complete with the requirements for the transfer of ownership, except for the one request letter that needs to come from Espinoza and the former shareholders. To date, no request letter has been issued, which makes the process difficult to undertake for PWS, the statement stressed.
PWS said that they are currently studying the option of pursuing legal action against Espinoza and the other former shareholders.
Since 2022, PWS has implemented significant upgrades in its Cebu facility operations, in line with its objective to minimize landfilled waste to 20 percent or less, it also said in the statement.
PWS said that it uses state-of-the-art equipment from Europe and Asia, such as vibrating sieves, baler systems, magnetic separators, and an air density separator, to maximize resource recovery.
Another significant improvement underway is a new wastewater treatment facility, which, upon completion by September, can treat a large volume of wastewater beyond the site’s operations. This will enhance PWS’ capability to eventually offer wastewater treatment services to other customers, the statement also said.
PWS also said in the statement that it has generated job opportunities for the local community, adding that such a transformational strategy implemented since 2022 casts doubt on the credibility of former ACI shareholders, given that PWS is effectively running a proper and modern waste management facility that prioritizes the environment as well as the health of workers and communities.
PWS also said that they are actively working with the DENR and EMB for the continuous upgrading of the site, underscoring its commitment to work hand in hand with the government in fully adhering to environmental standards. /JPS