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From Cebu City’s landfill permit controversy and the worsening SRP garbage buildup, to the unfolding impeachment process in the Senate — today on Beyond the Headlines, we break down the key issues shaping governance, accountability, and public trust.
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NewsTranscript
01:45Questions continue to surround the landfill in Barangay Binalio after Cebu City's Business Permits and Licensing Office, or BPLO, defended
01:56its decision to grant a permit to Prime Integrated Waste Solutions, Inc. despite an existing cease and desist order.
02:06The controversy stems from the January 8th trash slide that killed 36 people and injured several others.
02:15One of the deadliest landfill incidents in Cebu's history.
02:20During a public hearing, BPLO officials explained that the company completed all documentary requirements, including environmental clearances, sanitary permits, and
02:32fire safety certifications.
02:34Officials also cited the Ease of Doing Business Act, which requires applications to be processed within a prescribed time frame.
02:44But critics are asking, should operations resume while investigations remain unfinished?
02:51Several city councillors also questioned whether the city conducted an actual safety assessment before the permit was approved.
03:00Others raised concerns over transparency after claiming they still have not received complete details regarding DENR's partial lifting order.
03:13So what exactly are the conditions for reopening?
03:17And why are some officials saying key information remains unclear?
03:23The issue intensified after landfill operators confirmed that the facility has resumed accepting limited waste from private entities while rehabilitation
03:38efforts continue.
03:39At the same time, Cebu City is facing mounting pressure to solve its worsening garbage problem after its howling agreement
03:49with Aluginsan reached its limit.
03:53Now the city faces a difficult question.
03:57Does Cebu City risk reopening too soon because it is running out of options?
04:06Now this report, on a personal note, bothers the everyday Cebuanos, everyday Cebuanos like me.
04:17Because if we are again to look back, and the reason why we look back, it's not because we cannot
04:23let go,
04:23but because there are lessons supposedly that we should have learned from the past.
04:29And I'm referring to the Inaiawan landfill, which eventually became Inaiawan dump site.
04:39And then, as a solution to that problem, supposedly, we went to Binalio landfill, which eventually became a dump site.
04:50And as we know, and we've been saying this repeatedly on the show, a dump site is illegal.
04:59So the question here is from an illegal dump site in Inaiawan, another dump site in Binalio, which is again
05:07illegal, was opened.
05:10And correct me if I'm wrong, and I would address this to the Cebu City local government or even our
05:17viewers.
05:18I am not hearing a long-term solution beyond howling the trash to Aluginsan, which is 60 kilometers away.
05:30And we will discuss and I will comment on that later.
05:33But I will just focus on my first comment on this cycle that we are in, going for a landfill,
05:41turning it into a dump site, and then going for a landfill, turning it into a dump site, which is
05:48illegal.
05:49And Binalio, we should not forget, resulted to death of 36 people, which remained unresolved also.
06:00Like there was no full closure as to what happened and who should be held accountable.
06:06So Aluginsan, we call it also a landfill.
06:11But my forecast, if we're not going to have any long-term solution, then it could, or probably the reason
06:18why a limit has already been pegged,
06:21it's because probably it's already reaching the threshold of it eventually becoming a dump site.
06:26We have to remember that for Cebu City alone, we have 600 tons of trash every single day.
06:36So that's the amount of trash that we need to haul to Aluginsan, which is 60 kilometers away.
06:46So if there are rumors, or if not rumors, because it was really, it opened, Binalio really opened, according to
06:58officials, under limited engagement.
07:01But if we are to connect the dots, without any long-term solution, and with 600 tons of trash every
07:12day,
07:12we still need to find another landfill and another dump site.
07:20So the cycle will repeat itself.
07:23So I don't know what's happening in this section.
07:28And again, for our viewers who would think otherwise, or if there are officials coming from the Cebu City local
07:35government,
07:36who would also not agree with what I just said, feel free to contact us or reach us in Sunstar.
07:43And we would also explain your side.
07:45Besides, we've been also issuing invitations also on the chief executive, specifically our mayor, Nestor Archibald,
07:53because we'd also like to hear his thoughts, specifically about waste management.
07:59And speaking of waste management, if we are to recall, the mayor had his trip in Japan sometime February.
08:07If I remember it correctly, that's February 25-26.
08:10And when he came back, he expressed his openness about waste to energy.
08:16So this is February.
08:18The tragedy in Binalio happened January 8th.
08:22It will be five months already, this coming June 8th.
08:27And again, as I mentioned in the first comment, we are yet to hear a long-term solution aside from
08:35dump sites.
08:37Again, dump sites are illegal.
08:39Well, they are dangerous.
08:42They are harmful to the environment.
08:45And I still believe that because we have an environmentalist as a mayor,
08:50he would be among the first people who should oppose dump sites.
08:54And I trust that among our leaders, he should be at the forefront
08:58in terms of looking for an environmentally sustainable long-term solution.
09:04Because in the absence of those long-term solutions, then yes, this garbage problem will just be on a cycle.
09:13And if I am to recall, this was part of his promises and his platforms.
09:18When we interviewed him here, when he was still a candidate for mayor.
09:24And I have strong optimism that having an environmentalist of a mayor and an engineer for a mayor,
09:32he would be able to provide and lead the city in terms of finally looking for a long-term solution
09:40aside from having dump sites.
09:43And then my third comment on this particular issue is what about the 36 lives that were lost?
09:53And correct me if I am wrong, but I also did not hear the mayor even made a comment that
10:00he would get into the bottom of this.
10:02And I meant the death of 36 people and hold people accountable for their death.
10:10There was an incident that also, a tragic incident that also happened a month later, and that's February 8th.
10:16And yes, the mayor issued a statement denouncing the crime that transpired on that fateful night on February 8th.
10:27But correct me if I'm wrong, he did not issue the same for the 36 lives.
10:33I'm not belittling the incident on February 8th because it's also just as tragic and it's also just as urgent.
10:42I'm just referring to, at the very least, both are pressing and both are important.
10:48They're urgent.
10:49But I'm just surprised why he issued commitment on this, but not on this.
10:56This is also just as important.
10:5936 lives were lost.
11:01And now, we are reopening or we just reopened on a limited capacity binalio and no resolution at all on
11:11the 36.
11:12And again, correct me if I'm wrong, if there was any, feel free to reach out to us here in
11:17Beyond the Headlines.
11:18And we would also happy to give that update to the public.
11:23So now, let's move to another related story.
11:26And this time, it's still about waste management.
11:28But the question about why garbage are piling up again at SRP and, you know, of all places, SRP.
11:36If we liken this to Metro Manila, there are garbage piling up in BGC.
11:42That's how it sounds to me.
11:45So I'll read the news about this.
11:47Garbage piling up once again at the South Road properties.
11:51Is this now becoming another environmental crisis in the making?
11:57Massive piles of mixed waste have reportedly reappeared at a pond in SRP, prompting renewed calls for an urgent investigation
12:08into Cebu City's worsening garbage problem.
12:12The site was originally intended only as a transfer station where garbage should stay for no longer than 24 hours
12:24before being transported to disposal properties outside the city.
12:29But recent inspection allegedly revealed waste remaining in the area far longer than expected.
12:40So why is garbage still accumulating?
12:43And who should be held accountable for the growing piles of trash?
12:49A Cebu City Councilor is now pushing for a formal inquiry to determine whether private haulers, contractors, barangays, and city
12:58departments are complying with environmental laws and waste management regulations.
13:05Concerns are also growing over reports that portions of the waste may already be affecting nearby mangrove and coastal ecosystems.
13:15The crisis comes months after the deadly landfill collapse in Barangay Binalio that again killed 36 people and forced the
13:26suspension of landfill operations.
13:29Since then, Cebu City has relied on distant disposal facilities such as the site in Aluginsan, significantly increasing howling costs
13:40and operational pressure because Aluginsan is 60 kilometers away from Cebu City.
13:45Now, with the city's agreement with Aluginsan already reaching its limits, discussions about returning to the Binalio landfill continue despite
13:56unresolved safety concerns and pending investigation findings.
14:03So, I think I've already highlighted earlier that Aluginsan is 60 kilometers away, so it is more expensive.
14:12And I'll also give, as an ordinary, everyday Cebuano, a forecast that if we don't have a long-term solution,
14:20Cebu City is producing 600 tons of trash every day.
14:24So, without a long-term solution, a landfill will eventually become a dump site.
14:33I mean, we can easily connect the dots.
14:36The other thing also, which I would mention, I'm also wondering about conflicting statements that I'm reading on legit sources.
14:49So, on May 6, one of the local dailies in Cebu released an article actually saying that Mayor Archibald is
14:59unaware, because this May 6 interview was unaware of Binalio landfill operations that it had already begun accepting waste.
15:12So, this was the statement or the article that was released in one of the local dailies on May 6.
15:19But what's confusing me, it's because before that, which is an April 29 report, and it's released through Sunstar,
15:27the mayor actually defended, according to the article, limited reopening, saying that the move could benefit the city as long
15:38as rehabilitation and regulatory conditions are met.
15:43So, what's the real deal here?
15:46Was he really unaware, which was what he said on May 6?
15:51Or is he really defending its reopening, which he said days before that, which is April 29?
15:59And I'm referring here to legit sources that reported this.
16:04So, as an everyday Cebuano, an everyday person, I'm wondering, where does the mayor really stand on the reopening of
16:12Binalio?
16:12Was he really unaware, as he claimed May 6?
16:16Or is he really defending it, which he stated prior to May 6, which is April 29?
16:23So, again, we would welcome the thoughts and the views of the executive branch, whether it's the mayor or the
16:33people,
16:33the team that he organized to actually handle and manage this gap.
16:40I will not even say it's an issue because it's really a gap that needs to be addressed real soon.
16:49And I'll end my commentary on this, about one particular movie.
16:54And I will not tell you what the movie is because I don't want to endorse it for commercial reasons.
17:01But there was one particular movie which I saw when I was in my early 20s.
17:06And it depicted about a particular country firing an unauthorized missile to another country.
17:15And then, minutes after that, so this was the opening scene.
17:20Minutes after that, the president of that country owned up to the firing, the unauthorized firing, the firing of the
17:29missile.
17:30And then, the next scene was in the elevator in which his chief of staff whispered to him and asked,
17:36Mr. President, did you really order the firing?
17:40And the response of the president actually was something that I held closely in my heart,
17:47especially when I began to be a leader also in the organizations that I'm interested to lead.
17:52Because his response actually said,
17:54I would rather be the president of a country that filed the missile rather than being the president of a
18:04country in which his own people filed a missile without him knowing it.
18:12Did you see the difference?
18:14So, what is it teaching me?
18:17And what I'm also sharing to you?
18:19Leadership at the end of the day is about accountability.
18:23We can delegate responsibility, but whatever happens to whatever we delegate, accountability would always come back to us.
18:35A lot of people would confuse responsibility and accountability because they seem to be similar.
18:41But there's a differentiating factor that sets the two apart.
18:47It's answerability.
18:48For responsibility, you can delegate it, but at the end of the day, somebody has to answer for it.
18:57And that's what accountability is.
19:00So, whether the executive branch would say they did not know, they do not know, but if Binalio really opened,
19:10I think by now with the theory that I just shared, we know who should be accountable with or without
19:17his knowledge.
19:18And if indeed, garbage are piling up, if all places in SRP beyond 24 hours, in fact, it's questionable why
19:28it should be SRP, but sige na lang.
19:30But if indeed, garbage are piling up, my goodness, it's becoming a dump site, no?
19:36Beyond 24 hours, with or without the executive's knowledge, well, we know who should ultimately be unsparable.
19:45And saying, I did not know, I do not know, in my opinion, is not a good phrase to say.
19:51From a leader, especially with an issue as deep, as important as this one.
19:59As a leader, there is no way we will say we do not know or we did not know.
20:07That's just my personal opinion.
20:09Now, let's move to the national scene.
20:13This is about the Office of the Vice President, OVP, receives Senate impeachment summons.
20:22An impeachment case moving forward, a summons officially received, and a legal process now taking on strict deadlines.
20:32The Office of the Vice President received on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, the writ of summons issued by the Senate
20:41Impeachment Court in connection with the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.
20:48The OVP confirmed receipt of the summons at around 10.40 in the morning.
20:54Under Senate impeachment rules, the respondent is given, so take note of this, the respondent is given 10 calendar days
21:04from receipt of summons to file her pleadings.
21:07After this, the prosecution will have 5 calendar days to respond.
21:13So that's a total lead time of 15 days.
21:16So we know that it's agad-agad, that's what forthwith actually means.
21:21But from this alone, we know that there's 10 days to respond for the office of the Vice President, or
21:28the Vice President, and then there's 15 calendar days for the prosecution also to respond.
21:35So that's a total of 15 days already from the receipt.
21:39The Vice President will also be required to appear before the impeachment court upon notice.
21:45The Senate formally convened as an impeachment court on May 18, just days after receiving the Articles of Impeachment.
21:56On May 11, 257 lawmakers voted in favor of adopting House Resolution 989 together with Committee Report 261,
22:07which carried the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President for the second time.
22:13And what's telling about this, because the first time, 215 said yes, or voted yes, from the House of Representatives.
22:23And for the second time around, it's already 257.
22:27So the numbers are increasing.
22:30Among the grounds cited are alleged irregularities in the use of public funds during her tenure at the Office of
22:39the Vice President and the Department of Education from 2022 to 2024.
22:44Also included are allegations involving controversial statements against top government officials, claims of bribery involving DepEd personnel, unexplained wealth, alleged
22:58misdeclaration of assets, and reported involvement in extrajudicial killings.
23:05In a recent press conference, House prosecutors expressed confidence in what they described as a strong and complete case,
23:15while also emphasizing that the Senate impeachment court is constitutionally mandated to proceed without delay.
23:25As deadlines begin to take effect, all eyes now turn to the next steps in what could be a historic
23:32political trial.
23:35And as we've said earlier in the show, this is the first time in Philippine history that a vice president
23:41was voted to be impeached by the House of Representatives twice.
23:49Now, interesting questions also have emerged, and if you have not read the feedback, overall feedback coming from experts, I
23:59also share them today with you.
24:02So some people were actually wondering with the case that's being filed to Senator Jinggoy Estrada,
24:13and then the other one also is we know that Senator Bato De La Rosa is also in hiding.
24:20And some people still question how will that impact in terms of a possible change in leadership again after Senator
24:30Alan Peter Cayetano took over as Senate President.
24:35So how will that impact the majority?
24:37And experts, although there are several opinions about this one, even within the legal community.
24:44So di lang tabag abogado-abogado, kaya bisa ng mga abogado, wag ay nagkasinabot.
24:48But anyway, the overall consensus that I've gathered, when they will vote for the impeachment,
24:56assuming that all things considered a fair trial was already done,
25:01two-thirds of the senators will have to convict the vice president.
25:08And when we say two-thirds, that's 16 senators who are physically present.
25:14So what is this telling us?
25:17Whether Senator Jinggoy Estrada, for example, in that particular moment is arrested and could not post bail, assuming lang,
25:27and then Senator De La Rosa will continue to be missing.
25:32At the end of the day, the senators will still need 16 physically present to convict the vice president.
25:44So it would still need senators coming from the new majority to actually vote to impeach the vice president.
25:57Am I making sense?
25:58So it's physically present for the senators to vote for impeachment.
26:06So the numbers, if we are to look at Senator De La Rosa, the threats also on Jinggoy Estrada being
26:14present,
26:14it's not really that material because it's really 16 physically present voting to impeach or convict the vice president.
26:25So I hope that in spite of all the disagreements within the legal community, that's the overall consensus.
26:34And then there's also the impending arrest.
26:39And as we can see, even the legal community is on different sides.
26:45One is for sovereignty of the Philippines and it has to be upholded.
26:51And on the other side, it's also saying about the jurisdiction of the ICC.
26:56So even the legal community, they don't agree with each other.
27:01So I will not join in the fray anymore.
27:04But what I'm just saying is now I'm more looking forward to how the Supreme Court is going to resolve
27:13this one.
27:14Again, even the legal community, they don't have a consensus.
27:18They're polarized as well.
27:19So this is, in my opinion, a time for me to really hear what will the Supreme Court say about
27:26this.
27:26Although we also knew that yesterday that the temporary restraining order that was requested by Senator Bato and his lawyers
27:37was denied by the Supreme Court.
27:40So, and the vote was telling, it's nine supporting, I mean, nine denying his request and then five supporting it.
27:54So, double, diba? Anggap nine and five.
27:56It's almost double.
27:57And then one abstained.
28:00And then the legal community also have been asked since yesterday until this morning about what does that say also
28:09about how the Supreme Court will eventually rule the case.
28:13Whether arresting the president, the former president, was legal.
28:21Because that looks like a precedent for Senator Bato's case, how the Supreme Court will eventually rule about it.
28:31Now, the legal community also are divided when it comes to that.
28:35But at least from what I gathered, the denial of the TRO does not necessarily mean that the Supreme Court
28:45will eventually rule that bringing him and the former president to ICC is constitutional or legal.
28:53Not yet.
28:54Although, in the legal community, at least from the overall consensus that I gather, the likelihood, so we're not saying
29:02they will,
29:03but the likelihood that the Supreme Court will rule in favor of bringing them to ICC may be higher now.
29:12So, again, the denial of the TRO, again, with so many inputs coming from the legal community,
29:20differing inputs coming from the legal community,
29:23that the denial of the TRO does not necessarily translate to the Supreme Court ruling eventually that it's constitutional,
29:35it's legal to bring both the former president and Bato to the ICC court.
29:40But the likelihood of them denying his request might increase the probability, the chances that they will.
29:49So, as of this time, I think, at least also from what we gathered in our interview last week with
29:54Attorney Billia Gonzalo,
29:56who is an ICC-accredited counsel,
30:00we would have to defer eventually to how the Supreme Court will rule about this.
30:06And otherwise, the overall consensus also of the legal community is if the chief executive or the Philippine president will
30:14come forward
30:15and will issue the order,
30:18then, which just like what happened also allegedly to the case of the former president,
30:23then it can also happen.
30:25So, let's monitor on how these two will continue.
30:28And for now, there's still a debate whether Senator Batola de Rosa is a fugitive or not.
30:35So, we will have to continue to monitor this development and we will also continue to share this with everyone.
30:42So, from landfill controversies and rising waste concerns to a historic impeachment process unfolding in the Senate,
30:50today's stories reflect issues of accountability, governance, and public trust.
30:55As these developments continue to unfold, one thing remains clear.
31:01The answers will shape not just today's headlines, but the decisions of tomorrow.
31:09I'm DJ Moises. This has been Beyond the Headlines.
31:12Thank you for joining us this afternoon and have a good day.
31:16Thank you for joining us this afternoon and have a good day.
31:46Thank you for joining us this afternoon and have a good day.
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