“Radiating positivity, creating connectivity” CEBU BUSINESS Room 310-A, 3rd floor WDC Bldg. Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City You may visit Cebu Business Week WEEK Facebook page. September 14 - 20, 2020 Volume 2, Series 52 www.cebubusinessweek.com 12 PAGES P15.00 IS BINALIW WASTE FACILITY LEGAL? Cebu City, DENR to determine status, says Rama THE Cebu City Govern- of trees. By: ELIAS O. BAQUERO maneuvering and profiteer- Office of the Ombudsman to ment and the Department Rama said that while ing venture. Any shenani- weigh their violations. They of Environment and Natu- the Garganera Committee is when he was the Cebu City gans must be exposed so the should be charged before the ral Resources (DENR) shall investigating the alleged il- mayor from 2013 to 2016, people may know. graft court together with the determine once and for all legal quarrying in mountain he, together with Garganera, Rama said Garganera is private owners and operators whether the Binaliw garbage barangays, it should also in- closed the Inayawan landfill bringing the matter to DENR of this landfill. disposal facility is legal or il- vestigate the garbage dispos- because it was a threat to the to question whether the ce- He said the Cebu City legal. al facility in Binaliw wheth- people’s health. Yet another mented roads leading to the Government, with the Cebu Cebu City Vice Mayor Mi- er or not “it is a landfill, landfill opened with more alleged illegal landfill and City Council shall close any chael “Mike” Rama said the waste-to-energy or another controversies and unan- the landfill itself has a Envi- issue on this controversial Cebu City Council Commit- kind of animal.” swered questions. ronmental Compliance Cer- and anomalous landfill. There tee on Environment chaired “This shall be made pub- “I don’t want anymore tificate (ECC) issued by the are issues that the people are by Councilor Joel Garganera lic. This must be transparent a landfill. How much more DENR otherwise it is anom- excited to know the answers is now seeking a real report because the people have the in the mountain barangay alous and immoral. and that need discussions. from DENR whether this so- right to know about it. The where contaminated rainwa- Rama pointed out that The discussions shall be called Binaliw landfill has an people behind it must be ter can easily sip the ground if this ARN Central Landfill fair to everybody including Environmental Compliance exposed so that if there are and mix with potable water is illegal from the beginning those people currently oper- Certificate (ECC) or not. If damages to the environment, for the people’s consump- and there are some Cebu City ating it. none, then this is illegal and they better be ready to face tion,” Rama said. officials and national gov- Who are the people be- shall be closed permanently. the consequences of their il- The vice mayor said that ernment agency officials in- hind this landfill project? An official opined that legal acts,” Rama said. questionable projects like volved, maneuvering to make How much is the capitaliza- the Commission on Audit He said that it is not good the Binaliw landfill thrive be- the illegal legal, then they tion? Where is the DENR (COA) may disallow pay- for the people’s view that cause these are tainted with should be charged before the ECC? Can it affect the water ments from Cebu City Hall reservation area or the water for garbage disposal to Bina- supply? Who gave this land- liw landfill if DENR will find fill owners the authority to it illegal and immoral. operate? Who are the public Initially, Rama said the officials monitoring it? Garganera Committee found “If the laws were cast out that the cemented roads aside and there were viola- leading to the garbage facil- tions but devious people le- ity had damaged the envi- galized the illegal, this shall ronment and is a threat to be looked into by the Of- water reservation and water fice of the Ombudsman and supply for the farm and the DENR among other inves- people. The garbage disposal tigating agencies so we can facility itself has reportedly bring justice to the people re- damaged the environment garding our natural resourc- by cutting several hundreds CEBU CITY VICE MAYOR MICHAEL RAMA AND COUNCILOR JOEL GARGANERA es,” Rama said. 2 September 14 - 20, 2020 Cebu Business Week LOCAL Mactan Rock can sell cheap water to MCWD A WATER distribution tela water is far cheaper than own water equipment. Mactan Rock will have a expert said that hopeful- the P26 per cubic meter sold He said that under Mac- long-term contract with an ly before the end of 2020, to MCWD by Maynilad and tan Rock program, the com- establishment, it will shoul- his company, Mactan Rock Manila Water which sourced mercial and industrial water der the water treatment and Industries Inc. (MRII) can free water from Luyang, consumers can recycle. The recycling cost, and the com- start supplying 10,000 cu- Carmen, Cebu. Department of Environ- pany’s expenses will be re- bic meters of water to Met- Tompar said that if ment and Natural Resourc- duced because it is cheaper ropolitan Cebu Water Dis- MCWD will not hesitate to es (DENR) even authorized than potable water,” Tom- trict (MCWD). push through with Mactan him to supply water to in- par said. Engineer Antonio Tom- Rock Compostela water, it dustrial firms in Lapu-Lapu He said recycling of par said that if no person is cheaper by P48 per cubic City and Panglao, Bohol. water in Metro Cebu can with hidden agenda will meter compared to MCWD’s “The wastewater must address the environmental block his move, Mactan coming desalinated water be treated and recycled, concern and replenish the Rock will get potable water source at P65 per cubic me- ENGINEER ANTONIO TOMPAR so it may not endanger the dwindling ground water re- from Cotcot River in Com- ter to the detriment of the lives of the people,” Tompar serve. Metro Cebu now is postela, Cebu and will sell consuming public. Rock is completely equipped said. experiencing water scarcity that to MCWD at P17 per With a success story in in comparison to all other “Some businessmen and recycling the water will cubic meter. water sourcing and distri- bulk water suppliers be- think that water treatment reduce the demand. ELIAS Mactan Rock’s Compos- bution, Tompar said Mactan cause it is manufacturing its and recycling is costly. If O. BAQUERO NMIS: Be Careful in Buying Meat Online THE National Meat In- should not buy it but instead healthy meat because of ASF. spection Service (NMIS) report it to the authorities the closure of some hotels, But he said that when has warned the public to be to stop this practice which restaurants, and resorts. Covid-19 came, foreign trav- careful in buying pork and is detrimental to public The pork industry, which el, including the shipment of chicken from online sellers health,” Oblena said. has P11 billion investment in meat from countries known and make sure that these are Oblena said that it is not Cebu and P6 billion in Bo- to have ASF, was stopped. properly handled to avoid fair for customers who buy hol was spared from Asian He added that while contamination. meat online to avoid being Swine Fever (ASF) with the ASF was reported in some Dr. Eduardo Oblena, exposed to virus in the mar- travel ban from countries parts of Mindanao, there NMIS 7 director, said that ket, but ended up with un- where the animal disease was none in Northern Min- because thousands lost their clean meat. DR. EDUARDO OBLENA originated. danao especially in Cagayan jobs due to lockdowns in re- “We will prevent the This is why the Covid-19 de Oro City, hence, Mayor sponse to the Covid-19 pan- spread of Covid-19 virus and healthy. pandemic has helped the Edgar Labella has allowed demic, several people are at the same time avoid un- “While we prevent the Philippines in preventing their pork and chicken to now engaged in online meat healthy food,” Oblena said. spread of Covid-19 pandem- the spread of ASF in the be shipped and sold in Cebu selling. He said the Local Gov- ic, we will also make sure country, Oblena said. City. “We were being in- ernment Unit (LGU) meat that the meat the people eat He told Cebu Business “This meat from Cagay- formed of mishandling of inspection division which is is clean and healthy,” Oblena Week that before Covid-19 an de Oro City can only be meat ordered by customers. the NMIS counterpart in the said. hit the country, several im- sold in Cebu City and not to This is dangerous because it localities will always make Oblena said Central Vi- ported meat arrived the other parts of Metro Cebu will lead to food infection or sure that the meat sold in sayas especially Cebu has Philippines from different and Cebu Province,” Oblena food poisoning. The people the community is clean and enough supply of clean and countries suspected with said. ELIAS O. BAQUERO LTO 7’s biggest office to feature ‘single-window transaction’ LTO 7 regional director The single-window sys- 7’s new office now costs P8 will be operational. Victor Emmanuel Caindec tem is enabled by the LTO’s million, but “not a single cent “This office will be con- announced that the future new Land Transportation of government money was sidered as the largest office in new office which will be lo- Management System, which spent to retrofit that said of- the region, same as with the cated at the Robinsons Gal- is part of the agency’s nation- fice.” other LTO offices inside the leria in Cebu will feature sin- al IT modernization program.