COUNCILOR Edgar Cabanlas supported the recommendation of the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO) to terminate the city’s contract with Tencil Construction Inc. and Jomara Konstruckt Corp., citing violations and inefficiencies in the operation and maintenance of the Sanitary Landfill in Barangay Pagalungan.
During the recent regular session, Cabanlas amended the proposal of Councilor Eric Salcedo to terminate Jomara’s and Tencil’s contract, citing it is not within the scope of the Sanggunian. He suggested instead that the City Council expressed support for CLENRO’s contract termination recommendation now pending review by the City Legal Office (CLO).
“The purpose of the resolution is not to terminate, but to support CLENRO’s action. The mayor already received the recommendation and endorsed it to the CLO for legal opinion,” he said.
Meanwhile, the majority floor leader also questioned the current location of the city’s engineered sanitary landfill in Pagalungan, noting its proximity to a river may influence water quality.
“The basic flaw is the landfill itself. It should not be there. It affects water quality,” he added.
Cabanlas said the access road to the facility, which reportedly uses compacted garbage as filling material, has worsened the mobility problem of trucks and heavy equipment.
“We need a landfill that is properly developed and accessible,” he stressed.
With this, Cabanlas proposed the establishment of two sanitary landfills, one for the city’s eastern part and another for the western part, saying the growing population of the city and geographical spread require decentralized waste management facilities.
“Cagayan de Oro is becoming a metro city. We need two landfills,” he concluded. (FDC/ SP)
Councilor Jonjon Rodriguez proposed the establishment of separate sanitary landfills for Cagayan de Oro’s two districts, following the special report of Councilor Eric Salcedo on the current condition of the city’s existing landfill in Barangay Pagalungan.
Rodriguez shared that during last week’s committee hearing, the possibility of constructing a sanitary landfill for District 2 was discussed. He proposed Barangay Bugo as a potential site, with Punong Barangay Spencer Cailing expressing full support for the initiative.
He emphasized that with the increasing volume of solid waste generated across the city, it is timely to explore the development of another landfill to improve waste management efficiency.
The current landfill spans approximately 20 hectares, with around 12 hectares already occupied by garbage, Councilor Rodriguez further pointed out.
The proposal, he believes, would help ensure a more systematic and decentralized approach to solid waste management.
He also sought for the establishment of designated garbage container stations in both districts, where each barangay can properly dispose of their collected waste, so that garbage trucks collect directly from these stations to streamline waste collection operations and minimize traffic congestion in the city. (JDO/SP)
- The Gavel
- Oct 9
Councilor Marlo Tabac backed the proposal of Councilor Enrico Salcedo to purchase land for the establishment of Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in barangays to reduce the volume of garbage being hauled to the Pagalungan landfill.
Speaking during Monday’s regular session, Tabac said the creation of MRFs is mandated under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, and is key to changing people’s waste disposal habits.
“This law is already 25 years old. It’s not only about garbage collection, but about changing the lifestyle of people to segregate their waste,” Tabac said.
He noted that some barangays lack the space to construct MRFs despite available funding from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).
“EMB and DENR have funds for MRFs, but barangays have no space. That’s why we support the proposal to buy land for MRFs,” Tabac added.
He also shared the difficulties faced by city garbage trucks navigating the muddy and narrow roads of the Pagalungan landfill, which have caused day-long delays in waste collection.
Tabac further emphasized that waste management is a shared responsibility between the city and the barangays, urging stronger coordination that would better incentivize barangay participation. (FDC/SP)
