Cebu City Weighs P99M Shift Amid Garbage Disposal Crisis

CEBU City is weighing the reallocation of P99 million originally set aside for the Binaliw landfill to help cover waste disposal costs in Aloguinsan after four bidding attempts for the city’s garbage disposal contract failed to attract a participating bidder.

Mayor Nestor Archival’s chief of staff Kenneth Siasar said the city continues to depend on Aloguinsan as its primary disposal area while officials assess whether Binaliw can be used again.

The city generates an estimated 600 to 700 tons of garbage daily, making continued access to a disposal facility a pressing operational requirement.

Siasar said Prime Waste Solutions Inc. (PWS) Cebu, the operator of the Binaliw landfill, took part in the first bidding held on May 5, 2026, but was disqualified after its local government unit clearance had expired.

The city then conducted three more scheduled bidding openings on July 2, July 21 and Sept. 10. No bidder participated in any of those sessions, bringing the total number of failed bidding attempts to four.

With no contractor secured, Siasar said the administration is looking at ways to sustain garbage hauling and disposal operations in Aloguinsan, which is located more than 60 kilometers southwest of Cebu City.

One option under consideration is to redirect the P99 million previously intended for Binaliw.

“If we can use the P99 million intended for the Binaliw landfill, we can include it for Aloguinsan,” Siasar said.

The proposed realignment would allow the city to finance disposal operations through the first week of December. However, officials anticipate another funding requirement if no contractor is secured and Binaliw remains unavailable.

The administration is consequently considering requesting an additional P100 million in supplemental funding to cover garbage disposal expenses for the remainder of December.

The potential budget adjustment comes as the city works to reduce the amount of waste that needs to be transported to Aloguinsan.

Siasar said the city’s eco-stations are currently reducing the volume hauled to the municipality by around 40 to 50 tons daily.

The facilities process segregated waste, allowing barangays that implement waste segregation to reduce the amount ultimately sent to the disposal site.

Despite the reduction, the city still needs to dispose of hundreds of tons of waste every day. Siasar said he was not privy to the specific maximum volume permitted under the city’s disposal agreement with Aloguinsan.

Meanwhile, questions surrounding the possible reopening or continued use of Binaliw remain under consideration following a Sept. 2 inspection of the landfill.

The Office of the Building Official and the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office presented their findings during the City Council’s Sept. 8 executive session.

The two offices stopped short of declaring the facility safe, citing conditions and technical requirements that need to be addressed.

Siasar said Binaliw could potentially be considered safe if PWS is allowed to participate in the bidding process and complies with the technical requirements identified by city agencies and the City Council.

“If given the chance nga mo-bid gyud sila, and then given sa report sa atong duha ka agency, plus the fact nga atong City Council mobisita sa area, I think ma-consider nato nga safe na ang area in that regard, as long as ma-comply to,” Siasar said.

The city is also awaiting an explanation from the Environmental Management Bureau 7 over its absence from the Sept. 2 inspection and the subsequent City Council executive session.

The agency had been invited to both activities but did not attend. The City Council later passed a resolution requesting an explanation for its absence.

“For us, we are awaiting for that resolution coming from the City Council for them to respond to us why wala sila motunga nga gipatawag man sila sa konseho,” Siasar said.

The city’s waste disposal situation remains dependent on Aloguinsan while officials pursue another round of procurement and determine whether the Binaliw facility can meet the necessary technical and safety requirements.

For now, the administration is preparing both the proposed P99 million budget realignment and a possible P100 million supplemental allocation to ensure garbage disposal operations continue through the end of the year if no contractor is secured.