CEBU City Mayor Nestor Archival has called for stronger public cooperation in waste segregation and climate preparedness as the rainy season threatens flooding in major areas of the city.
At a press conference on Monday, July 21, 2025, Archival said flooding concerns can be eased with proper waste disposal, especially as intense rainfall is expected in the coming months.
He urged all City Hall offices to strictly implement segregation of compostables, recyclables, and residual waste by the end of July, noting poor compliance even among government departments.
To support this, composting systems will be introduced in offices, and alternative storage areas for non-biodegradables like plastics are being identified.
The mayor also announced that the city is awaiting City Council approval on Tuesday, July 22, for a state of calamity declaration, which would unlock the use of Cebu City’s remaining P60 million in quick response fund to fast-track flood control efforts.
These include massive desilting and clearing of waterways, which the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council already recommended following recent flooding.
Archival said the 2025 budget allocated around P850 million for disaster risk reduction, in line with the mandated five percent disaster fund.
The city is also exploring renting amphibious excavators to reach creeks that backhoes cannot access.
The mayor admitted current desilting efforts are slow and ineffective and said he no longer knows the status of city-owned amphibious equipment.
To resolve this, Archival plans to purchase new equipment under next year’s Disaster Response Fund.
“We can’t keep relying on rentals when we have flood-prone areas needing immediate desilting,” he said.
He also ordered a review of the city’s outdated Drainage Master Plan, calling for barangay-specific infrastructure planning to ensure flood mitigation projects are aligned and not isolated.
“Many of our past drainage works were done in isolation. We want each barangay plan to align with the master plan if we have to resort to chop-chop implementation,” Archival added.
The mayor also asked the City Legal Office to review a P1.3-billion drainage contract awarded in 2021 but suspended due to non-implementation. About P199 million has already been paid to the contractor.
As part of long-term climate adaptation, Archival encouraged households and businesses to install rooftop rainwater catchment systems to reduce runoff into creeks and roads.
He also plans manual desilting of silted gabion dams built by previous administrations, noting that extracted sand and gravel could be reused in cement production.
In Toong, Pardo, where about 80 percent of downstream flooding originates, Archival said the City is planning to build a catchment facility to retain excess rainwater. / EHP