CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City’s executive department has proposed a total of P190.3 million in supplemental budget for the city’s garbage collection and disposal covering the months of September until December this year.
The proposed Supplemental Budget-1 was referred during the special session yesterday to the committee on budget and finance of the City Council chaired by Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia. Mayor Edgardo Labella, in his budget proposal, wants the entire amount of P190,320,000 to be used for “urgent and necessary” expense for garbage collection and disposal.
The amount will be sourced out from the realigned funds from the continuing appropriations of the Department of Engineering and Public Works.
“We are using the realignment from continuing appropriations from the city’s DEPW (Department of Engineering and Public Works),” City Budget Officer Marietta Gumia said.
City Engineer Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez said there are savings from the projects in the previous years which can be used to fund the proposed SB-1. These include the realignment of continuing appropriations from 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2017.
Garcia, who immediately called for a budget hearing after the adjournment of the special session yesterday, asked the executive department to explain how the P190.3 million will be used.
Engr. Joel Biton, head of the Department of Public Services, said the amount will be used to pay for the collection of garbage from the streets to the transfer station and hauling from the transfer station to the landfill.
Biton said the city has an extended contract with Jomara Konstruct Corp. until August 23 but it needs to bid out a new contract for September until December.
“Atong gi-request for collection of garbage is P1,400 per ton ug P1,298 per ton para sa hauling gikan sa transfer station padung sa landfill for the September to December nana,” he said, adding that the private hauler will be the one to look for landfill where to dispose the city’s garbage.
Biton said they will no longer use the per hour rental basis because it is costly for the city government. He said that the previous administration paid P3,459 per ton for the rental of the heavy equipment using the per hour basis.
Biton said under the new system the city government will be able to save up to P2,000 per ton.
He said the city will hire the services of 40 garbage trucks from the private company that will win the bidding for the garbage collection. The bidding process will start as soon as the budget is approved by the City Council.
Aside from the private company, Atty. Jose Daluz, special assistant to the mayor, said the city will also continue the garbage collection from the streets using the 13 city-owned trucks.
Meanwhile, some opposition-allied members of the City Council questioned the non-inclusion of the financial assistance of the senior citizens and persons with disabilities in the SB-1.
Councilors Nestor Archival and Lea Japson said they had been receiving queries already about the distribution of the assistance to the senior citizens and PWDs. Acting City Treasurer Jerone Castillo said the executive department prioritized the garbage collection and disposal because of its urgency. (FREEMAN)