Rama slams “illegal shortcut” as Cebu City’s open dumpsite continues to operate despite CDO

CEBU CITY — Cebu City 2nd District Congressman Eduardo “Edu” Rama slammed “illegal shortcut” as Cebu City’s SRP open dumpsite continues to operate 40 days after the cease and desist order (CDO) issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), saying the temporary site is undermining efforts to build a legal and sustainable waste management system.

Rama, in his Facebook post, called for the closure to force sustainable waste solution, cites health and environmental risks to coastal communities and he criticized what he called the justification that keeping the illegal dumpsite open is “necessary to prevent Cebu City’s garbage situation from getting worse.”

“Let’s stop acknowledging a false dilemma — that we either keep this illegal dumpsite at SRP open, or the waste management problem gets worse — propagated by those whose responsibility is to provide legal, sustainable alternatives but have instead opted for an illegal shortcut,” Rama said.

He argued that the city’s Local Chief Executive cannot use the lack of proper infrastructure as leverage to justify breaking environmental laws.

“Worse, tolerating this illegal dumpsite while waiting for a ‘sustainable replacement’ removes the urgency to fix it. Historically, as long as authorities have a place to illegally dump trash—even if they call it temporary—the development of permanent, legal facilities gets endlessly delayed,” he added.

According to Rama, closing the site will “force the hand of policymakers to finally execute the sustainable alternatives they have been promising.”  Rama listed four severe, compounding costs of keeping the open dump in a prime coastal area—marine pollution, air pollution, economic impact and public health.

“Unchecked leachate leaking directly into the Mactan Channel causes marine pollution affecting the food we eat and the immediate marine habitat. Methane emissions and air quality degradation, affecting the very air we breathe; devaluation of a multi-billion-peso commercial district with an illegal garbage mountain and Pests and diseases and the health risk that it poses to the people living along the coastline of Cogon Pardo, Inayawan, Mambaling, and residents of San Remo and Amalfi.”

Status of Cebu City’s waste management program

Cebu City has been grappling with garbage disposal problems since the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill was ordered closed in 2016. Since then, the city has relied on a mix of temporary measures.

Transfer stations and hauling of waste to landfills in Consolacion, Minglanilla, and other towns; material Recovery Facilities (MRF) in barangays, with mixed compliance, and plans for a new sanitary landfill at SRP and waste-to-energy facilities, which have faced delays in funding, bidding, and permitting.

The SRP dumpsite beside Pond A emerged as an interim disposal area. However, environmental groups and now Congressman Rama say its continued operation violates the DENR CDO and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

The city government has previously argued that without the SRP site, garbage collection would back up and streets would pile up with waste while long-term facilities are built.

Rama rejected that reasoning.  “Yes, we need sustainable waste management infrastructure. But we cannot give authorities a free pass to actively break environmental laws and lie to the public about it in the meantime. True sustainability starts with transparency, not illegal open dumping.”

As of posting, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office has yet to issue a formal response to the latest expose.  Environmental advocates are urging DENR-7 to enforce the CDO and for the city to fast-track the procurement and construction of a compliant sanitary landfill and waste processing facilities.

For coastal communities in Pardo, Mambaling, and Inayawan, the issue is immediate.  Fisherfolk and residents have long complained of foul odor, flies, and runoff during rains.

 “Closing the illegal site will instead force the hand of policymakers to finally execute the sustainable alternatives they have been promising, and this is the right direction to take.” Rama ended his post with a call for accountability. (Photos: Google Images/FB Posts)