THE private hauler of the Cebu City Government can no longer dump garbage at the landfill in Barangay Binaliw.
Aljory Waste Management Solutions/DOCAST owes ARN Central Waste Management Inc. (ARN-CWMI), the landfill’s owner, P18.6 million.
Because of this, garbage from the city’s 80 barangays is temporarily dumped at the transfer station in Barangay Inayawan.
Elias Espinoza, the legal counsel of ARN-CWMI, sent a demand letter to DOCAST through its general contractor John David Javier.
Aside from a balance of P1 million from 2020, DOCAST also owes P17.6 million for March 2021 up to May.
“Your office may have overlooked these unpaid billing statements of our client that we are giving your good self time, 10 days from receipt of this demand, to pay your long overdue and legal obligation,” Espinoza said in his letter, which DOCAST received on Tuesday, June 22.
SunStar Cebu tried to get the side of Javier, but he could not be contacted.
Jigo Dacua, head of the Department of Public Services, said he will ask a representative of DOCAST to explain what it plans to do with the garbage it has dumped at the transfer station in Barangay Inayawan.
Dacua said he saw no reason to recommend stopping the City’s contract with DOCAST as long as the firm fulfills its obligation in helping the City haul its waste for proper disposal.
Dacua clarified that barangays can still dump their garbage in the Binaliw landfill.
He said they did not receive any communication from ARN-CWMI that it was also barring barangays from thowing their garbage in the facility.
“If the barangay chooses to dispose at Binaliw landfill, they can,” said Dacua.
However, it is the private hauler’s job to deliver the garbage to Binaliw and ARN-CWMI is currently barred from dumping garbage there, he said.
Dacua said the City has to settle the matter with its contractor, adding that the City has been paying its obligations to ARN-CWMI.
He said he is not privy to the contract between ARN-CWMI and DOCAST. (JJL, PAC / PJB)