SC orders permanent closure of Inawayan landfill in Cebu City

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SC orders permanent closure of Inawayan landfill in Cebu City

LeAnne Jazul

The High Court junks the appeal of Mayor Tomas Osmeña


MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the permanent closure of the Inawayan landfill in Cebu City, denying the petition of Mayor Tommy Osmeña who had it reopened in 2016.

The SC en banc upheld the earlier closure order of the Court of Appeals (CA), which granted the writ of kalikasan filed by City Councilor Joel Capili Garganera.

“The Court is convinced from the evidence on record that the respondent has sufficiently established the requirements for the grant of the privilege of the writ of kalikasan,” said the decision penned by Associate Justice Noel Tijam.

The SC affirmed the CA’s order to Osmeña “to permanently cease and desist from dumping or disposing of garbage or solid waste at the Inayawan landfill and to continue to rehabilitate the same.”

The Inawayan landfill is one of the hot issues in Cebu City which has pitted politicians against each other.

Former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama closed the landfill in 2011.

A 2016 study of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) found that the dumping site poses a threat to the air and water of the area, and puts at risk the residents nearby.

In June 2016, Osmeña reopened the landfill for the city’s garbage disposal. 

Three months after, the Department of Health recommended the closure for lack of sanitary requirements, and for threats to the health and safety of the community.

Garganera, Rama’s ally, filed a petition for a writ of kalikasan at the CA, which was granted. Osmeña elevated the case to the SC.

“The record discloses that the City Government’s resumption of the garbage dumping operations at the Inayawan landfill has raised serious environmental concerns,” the SC said.

The Inawayan landfill is also the subject of an administrative complaint filed against Osmeña pending before the Office of the President, according to a report on The Freeman. – Rappler.com

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