DESPITE the recent clearing of Pond A at the South Road Properties (SRP), the Cebu City Government will continue using the area as a temporary nighttime garbage transfer station while it struggles to manage the city’s waste disposal needs.
Mayor Nestor Archival said waste from the barangays will only be unloaded after 9 p.m. and transported to the city Aloguinsan landfill, before 5 a.m. the following day.
Archival clarified that Pond A will not function as a dumping ground but as a transfer point where waste is temporarily consolidated before being transported to final disposal sites.
Department of Public Services head Paul Gelasque said the controlled schedule is a temporary measure while the city negotiates with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to reopen the city’s former Inayawan waste facility after the Binaliw Sanitary Landfill was ordered closed due to a deadly trash slide in January that claimed 36 lives.
Gelasque said around 100 hauling trucks will be deployed daily to manage the city’s garbage, making an estimated 150 trips to transport waste from the SRP to disposal sites.
He acknowledged that some residents may still be affected by garbage operations near the SRP, but assured that the impact will be minimal compared to when waste was previously piled up at the site.
“Of course, there will still be some effect because it is garbage, but it will not be like before when it was stacked there for a long time,” he said.
Gelasque explained that the city has limited options as it continues to deal with the waste management crisis.
“We have to collect the garbage and put it somewhere. It would be worse if garbage remains uncollected along the streets,” he said.
DENR-EMB warning
The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of DENR-7 earlier rejected the proposal to use the SRP as a temporary garbage holding site near Pond A, citing violations of Republic Act 9003.
In a Jan. 15 letter, then DENR-7 director Ma. Victoria Abrera informed City Administrator Albert Tan that the proposed location failed to meet environmental standards because it was too close to a water body and was not designated for waste handling under the area’s land-use plan.
The EMB warned that waste facilities located near water sources could cause contamination through leachate seepage and stressed that transfer stations must comply with strict requirements, including proper buffers, adequate space, and a maximum waste storage period of 24 hours.
Despite the disapproval, the Cebu City Government still transported garbage to the SRP site after Abrera’s reassignment and the appointment of new EMB-7 director John Edward Ang.
However, during monitoring on Jan. 21, 2026, multiple violations were found, including mixed municipal waste, the lack of liners and leachate systems, and insufficient odor and pest control, all of which pose contamination risks to Pond A.
Archival said ongoing discussions with the DENR are focused on whether the Inayawan facility can be used again as a transfer station for the city’s waste.
If the request is not approved, the city will continue using Pond A as a temporary transfer station until it can find a landfill closer to the Cebu City.
Archival said City Hall currently allocates about P500 million annually for waste management, but the amount could increase significantly due to rising fuel prices and the longer hauling distance to disposal sites.
“If the cost doubles, we may need an additional P600 million,” the mayor said.
He added that he may soon request a supplemental budget to cover the additional expenses.
“If we truly want to keep the city clean, we must follow the requirements set by our regulating agencies while also finding ways to reduce the city’s garbage management costs,” he said.
At present, the city pays private haulers around P3,906 per ton for their services.
Despite the challenges, Archival said the city government will continue to look for a more sustainable long-term solution to its garbage disposal problem, while urging residents to help reduce waste through proper segregation in their households. / CAV