𝐆𝐎𝐕. 𝐏𝐀𝐌 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐃, 𝐔𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐂𝐄𝐁𝐔’𝐒 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐒
Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro has rallied local government units (LGUs) and the private sector to confront the province’s escalating solid waste management challenges through stronger collaboration and shared responsibility.
Speaking at the forum “Cebu’s Waste Dilemma: The Need and the Urgency to Address It” held on February 20 at Ecotech in Lahug, Cebu City, the governor underscored that waste management requires a whole-of-society approach.
“Basura is everyone’s problem. Government cannot solve this alone. We need strong partnerships with the private sector and with all stakeholders who are willing to help us find practical and sustainable solutions,” said Gov. Baricuatro at the event organized by the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) and key local and regional stakeholders.
Emphasizing unity among LGUs, she added: “We cannot work separately. We must work as one team – maximizing our existing resources, sharing ideas, and using our collective strengths to address this challenge.”
The event served as a “pre-summit activity” for a bigger gathering on March 9, 2026, where speakers from Yokohama City, Japan and from Fujian, China will share their best practices, especially on technology, policy, and leadership towards proper waste management.
Among those present were DENR 7 Director Laudemir Salac; EMB 7 Director Emil Berador, as well as Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Cindi Chan, Board Member Stanley Caminero, Samboan Mayor Tito Calderon, Alegria Mayor Gilberto Magallon, Daanbantayan Mayor Gilbert Arrabis Jr., and Consolacion Vice Mayor Joannes Alegado.
Laying down the current situation, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) Head Rodel Bontuyan reported that while all LGUs in Cebu have 10-year solid waste management plans and the province has at least ten sanitary landfills — including the now-collapsed Binaliw landfill — serious gaps remain.
Despite these plans and facilities, many LGUs continue to struggle with insufficient garbage collection equipment, lack of proper waste segregation, limited final disposal sites, and the absence of skilled technical personnel and permanent Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officers (MENROs), he said.
Gov. Baricuatro stressed that addressing these systemic issues requires immediate and coordinated action.
“Together, we will craft solutions that are strategic, sustainable, and built for long-term impact. Cebu is not only for us today — it belongs to future generations. What we decide and do now will shape the Cebu of tomorrow. Let us start protecting that future today, because each one of us in this room is part of Cebu,” she said.
The gathering saw the Environment Management Bureau (EMB)-7 give an update on the Binaliw, Cebu City landfill as well as on the other landfills in the province.
PENRO, on the other hand, provided a snapshot of the waste situation in Cebu through a consolidated report.
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In his report, Atty. John Edward T. Ang, EMB-7 regional director, pointed out that short- and long-term strategies for solid waste management and enforcement in Cebu include, among other considerations, the “direct full compliance on LGU’s (local government unit’s) ordinance on segregation at source and promote waste diversion to reduce reliance on landfills”.
He also mentioned capacity development for personnel and waste-to-energy facilities, especially in highly urbanized areas, “to reduce landfill dependency, manage residual waste, and generate alternative energy”.
Bontuyan, meanwhile, talked about capacity building and technical assistance for LGUs, as he also cited “issues” in Cebu towns and cities, like the “backlogs in the implementation of SWM (Solid Waste Management) Plans”.
He likewise identified limited budget; “lack of skilled, technical personnel and a permanent MENRO (Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer)”; and “insufficient equipment to address increasing garbage/wastes”, among others, as additional issues bugging efforts to effectively solve the province’s waste management dilemma.
Assistant Provincial Administrator Aldwin A. Empaces, on the other hand, informed the mayors about the septage treatment project of Del Carmen, Siargao as an example of partnership and cooperation between the government and the private sector.
During the open forum that followed, DENR-7 Regional Executive Director Laudemir S. Salac also joined Ang and Bontuyan in answering questions fielded by the mayors, who were invited to join the March 9 summit.
Elizar Sabinay Jr. of PPDO said the Cebu local government units’ environment officers would also be gathered next week for a similar forum, which was “meant to inform them (mayors) on the urgency and the need to address waste management and make it as their priority; and the Province is leading it”. /𝑪𝑨𝑷𝑰𝑻𝑶𝑳 𝑷𝑰𝑶, 𝑷𝑷𝑫𝑶, 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝒀𝑱𝑩, 𝑭𝑬
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