Archival bares dream: A ‘green’ Cebu City

CEBU, Philippines — Waste-to-energy facility, energy efficiency, and managing water crisis are among the priority legislations of Nestor Archival, who is gunning for a council seat in Cebu City.

During the #KnowYourCandidate episode of The FREEMAN yesterday, Archival, former city councilor, laid down his platforms for the 2019 midterm elections.

#KnowYourCandidate is an interview series for the CEBU VOTE, the election coverage of The FREEMAN and Banat News.

Archival said he had a change of heart about running for public office.

“I had no plan of running for public post again, but my colleague, former councilor and environmentalist Nida Cabrera, opted not to run, so I decided to continue what we started,” he said.

Environmentalist and electrical engineer Archival vowed to continue his share in environmental protection.

If elected, Archival said he will focus on three areas, such as garbage, energy, and water.

He said the establishment of waste-to-energy (WTE) facility would help address the city’s garbage woes.

“There are so many technologies in other countries. There’s this technology called WTE, which converts wastes into energy. Energy is expensive nowadays. This is a very good idea to use waste as an advantage,” he said.

The city’s one million population translates to an average of 500,000 kilos of garbage a day, said Archival.

At present, the city government is still waiting for the Asian Development Bank, which reviews the proposals of four different companies for the establishment of WTE facility in the city.

Archival said he is planning to push for an ordinance which will detail the WTE technology for the better understanding of the Cebuanos.

His second priority is to push for energy efficiency and conservation.

Archival said it is a fact that 60 percent of the greenhouse emission comes from energy so if the city can reduce the consumption of energy, there would be reduction of greenhouse emission.

He said the city can also save money.

For instance, the city of Cebu has 27,000 streetlights and before his term in 2016 ended, he made an ordinance changing all the lights from sodium to LED which resulted in the reduction of energy consumption.

As for legislations addressing water supply and flooding problem, Archival said it’s time to revisit the cistern ordinance.

Establishing dams and water catchment basins would not only address the flood problem but also assist in disaster preparedness, he said.

Aside from his priority platforms, he has an Archival Eco-House in Barangay Talamban.

Located on a 7,000-square-meter property in Sitio Ylaya, the Archival Eco-House embodies a household-based sustainable living.

Conceptualized in 2003, the house is solar power-dependent and uses rainwater as its primary water source.

The house also has a vermicomposting facility that converts biodegradable waste into organic fertilizer, using African nightcrawlers. (FREEMAN)