Cebu City has taken a significant step to enhance local garbage collection by distributing twelve brand-new dump trucks to selected barangays. The ceremonial turnover, held at Plaza Sugbo in front of City Hall, was attended by city officials and barangay captains, marking a push to decentralize and strengthen waste management operations at the community level.
Funding and Procurement Clarified
Mayor Nestor Archival was quick to clarify the origin of the funding for this nearly P95-million project. He emphasized that the procurement was not initiated during his current term. The budget of P94,946,320 was sourced from the Local Development Fund (LDF) of the previous city administration.
"This is not my time when the request was made. The budget for this came from the LDF of the previous administration," Archival stated in a mix of Cebuano and English during the event. The total cost averages roughly P7 million per unit for the 12 vehicles.
Empowering Barangays for Better Waste Collection
The primary goal of the distribution is to address gaps in local waste management. Archival explained that the dump trucks were allocated specifically to barangays that had applied for them and lacked their own hauling equipment. "The barangays that did not receive any already have dump trucks," he said.
The recipient barangays are:
- Duljo Fatima
- Mabolo
- Labangon
- Tinago
- Day-as
- Kinasang-an
- Pahina Central
- Basak San Nicolas
- Pasil
- Guba
- Basak Pardo
- Malubog
Each barangay is assigned a specific unit with corresponding plate numbers. The move is expected to alleviate pressure on the city's central collection system and allow barangays to respond more swiftly to waste concerns in their areas.
Responsibilities and Future Handovers
For proper documentation, the transfer will be formalized through the City Council via a deed of donation. However, operational responsibility will fall to the barangays. They will cover all operating expenses, which include:
- Fuel costs
- Vehicle maintenance
- Personnel costs for one driver and three loaders per truck
The projected annual cost is P1 million for labor and maintenance, plus an additional P500,000 for fuel. Funding for these expenses will come from the barangays' Local Disaster Funds, which are drawn from the P8.5 million allocation provided by the City.
Although only ten of the twelve barangay captains were present at the December 16 ceremony, Mayor Archival assured that the dump trucks for Mabolo and Pahina Central will be turned over after proper coordination with their officials to align with the city's overall waste management strategy.
