State auditors call out Cotabato about continued use of old city dump

The Commission on Audit (COA) released a report calling out the Cotabato City government about the continued use of its open dumpsite and telling it to build an environment-friendly sanitary landfill as mandated by law. 

In a report released on Thursday, March 9, state auditors pointed out that Cotabato’s Biniruan dumpsite has been used by the city for waste disposal for 18 years, despite being banned in 2000 based on the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

The COA audit report cited city hall’s failure to build a sanitary landfill for proper garbage disposal as the reason for continued improper solid waste disposal. 

The improper waste disposal, they said, aggravated the city’s flood problems as trash blocks drains and waterways, causing water runoff to back up during the rainy season. 

The audit team warned that the absence of proper waste disposal poses a threat to public health and the environment.

The auditors also noted that despite efforts to reduce the volume of solid waste generated daily by the city, 80% of the 35 material recovery facilities (MRFs) built were non-operational. 

These MRFs were intended to encourage waste segregation so that recyclable materials are recovered, and only the biodegradable portion ends up in the landfill. However, in Cotabato City, they only serve as halfway dumpsites.

The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) admitted that the plan to build a facility to convert biodegradable waste to fertilizer was no longer feasible after talks with the Davao Thermo Biotech Corporation (DTBC) fell through. 

The COA auditors also noted that the city government was supposed to have completed three solid waste management projects, including the construction of a P174-million Bio-Medical and Solid Waste Management Facility, a P24-million installation of a septage management facility, and the acquisition of a lot for a P10-million bio-medical and solid waste facility, since 2000.

The auditors said the main challenge for local officials would be to find a suitable site for the sanitary landfill since neighboring municipalities have refused to cluster with Cotabato City for this purpose. 

City hall said it was coordinating with the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MENRE-BARMM) on the possibility of locating the proposed landfill within the city.

The audit team noted that the topographical similarities between Cotabato City and Navotas, whose landfill is situated in a swampy area, could provide a solution to the challenge of finding a suitable site for the landfill. An immediate solution, however, has remained out of reach for now. – Rappler.com