PAMPANGA, Philippines – The City of San Fernando has raised concerns that the proposed waste facility in Porac town could turn into a problematic open dumpsite similar to the one in Cebu City which is operated by the same group that will handle the waste recovery in the area.

The city environment and natural resources office (CENRO) of San Fernando said it feared that the Porac facility would replicate the issues faced by the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City which is also managed by Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Incorporated (PWS).

PWS started to operate the materials recovery facility (MRF) in Cebu City in March. The same company is also scheduled to begin its operations in Porac in October. 

Coincidentally, the Kalangitan landfill, managed by the Metro Clark Waste Management Corporation, is set to close next month due to the non-renewal of its lease contract with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and Clark Development Corporation. A complaint was filed on September 9 before the Office of the Ombudsman on the matter of its closure.

A recent media report said that Cebu City acting mayor Raymond Avin Garcia was investigating the alleged incomplete MRF in Binaliw that was linked by residents to the foul odor, water contamination, and operational efficiencies.

Garcia conducted an on-site inspection of the Binaliw landfill on September 20.

CENRO San Fernando officer-in-charge Maria Theresa Doble said the MRF in Porac was inadequate as a sanitary landfill as categorized by its operators PWS.

Doble said that an MRF is designed for waste segregation, compost processing, and serves as a transfer station for residual waste citing Republic Act 9003, residual waste should be disposed of within 24 hours.

Doble added that the Kalangitan landfill must continue to operate despite the non-renewal of its contract as it is the only engineered sanitary landfill that can accommodate large volumes of residual waste.

“The sanitary landfill is the final disposal for the residual wastes and treated hazardous waste,” Doble told Rappler on Wednesday.

“Not until the national government proactively established a final disposal site for residual wastes, treated hazardous waste and other special waste,” Doble added.

San Fernando, with its 35 barangays, has only 12 city trucks operating daily, handling an average of 120-125 metric tons of residual waste per day, according to Doble.

This, even when CENRO San Fernando is implementing a zero-waste program to divert its waste, she said.

“No, they are only mechanized materials recovery facility, not an engineered sanitary landfill wherein they only have residual containment area for the residual,” Doble said in a separate interview.

“Hindi (ito) malayo base sa kung sino ang nag-ooperate. Ang nag-ooperate sa Binaliw landfill is the same management operating at the Prime Waste Holding. Binaliw is not a landfill but an MRF based on the news and statement of Mayor Garcia of Cebu City,” Doble added.

(This isn’t far based on who is operating. The one operating the Binaliw landfill is the same management operating at the Prime Waste Holding. Binaliw is not a landfill but an MRF based on the news and statement of Mayor Garcia of Cebu City.)

Senator Raffy Tulfo, in his privilege speech last September 10, also raised concerns on the closing of the Kalangitan landfill as it could drive local governments back to illegal dumping practices.

“If we close the Kalangitan landfill, the necessary effect would be that these local government units served by the landfill would revert to dumping into our waterways and other illegal dumpsites which run the risk of not only poisoning our water supply,” Tulfo said.

“From then until now, our problem is still garbage from the smallest municipalities to the biggest cities,” the senator added.

Tulfo called on both BCDA and DENR to reconsider their plans, urging them to retract their proposed actions. –Rappler.com