Bacolod vows compliance after landfill violation notice

BACOLOD CITY — The city government has committed to correct alleged environmental violations at its sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Environmental Management Bureau-Negros Island Region issued a notice of violation involving wastewater discharge and the operation of two landfill cells without environmental compliance certificates.

City Administrator Mark Steven Mayo said the city is prepared to address the deficiencies identified by the environmental regulator.

“Rest assured we will comply to resolve and rectify what needs to be corrected, and we are ready at all costs, whatever the result will be,” Mayo said in a statement Thursday night.

EMB-NIR Officer-in-Charge Director Vicente Losbañes signed the notice of violation dated Aug. 10, 2026, against the Bacolod City government.

The notice cited alleged violations of Republic Act 9275, or the Philippine Clean Water Act, concerning water discharged from the landfill.

It also cited Presidential Decree 1586, or the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System, over the operation of Cells No. 4 and 5 without an environmental compliance certificate, or ECC.

The EMB-NIR gave the city government 15 days to submit its position paper responding to the alleged violations.

Mayo represented the city government during a public hearing Thursday afternoon, Aug. 20, facilitated by EMB-NIR for the expansion project involving Cell No. 4.

The hearing formed part of the requirements for the city’s application for an ECC.

Representatives of civic groups, environmental organizations, barangay officials, and key city departments attended the hearing, according to a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office.

Mayo told the hearing that the city continues to implement measures intended to comply with environmental laws and regulatory requirements governing the landfill.

The Bacolod City sanitary landfill is the only solid waste management facility in the Negros Island Region operating under a public-private partnership arrangement.

The facility has complete operational components and can accommodate 900 metric tons of solid waste per day.

Cell No. 4 was constructed in May 2024 under the previous city administration by private contractor International Property Management, or IPM.

Mayo said IPM’s contract required the company to secure the licenses and permits necessary for the project.

Those requirements included conversion of the property’s land classification from agricultural to mixed-use.

Mayo said the land conversion requirement was completed only after Mayor Greg Gasataya assumed office last year.

The compliance formed part of the city’s ECC application for Cell No. 4 and was undertaken in line with Gasataya’s commitment to improve conditions at the sanitary landfill.

“This step will subsequently allow the city to fulfill the requirements for Cell No. 5’s ECC,” Mayo added.

The city government recently began operating Cell No. 5 after Cell No. 4 reached full capacity.

Cell No. 5 is being operated through the city’s new private contractor, Luzon-based International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialists Inc., or ISWIMS.

The regulatory action comes months after EMB-NIR described the Bacolod sanitary landfill as a model facility.

In April, Losbañes said the landfill stood out for operational practices being implemented by the city.

“The city’s sanitary landfill is considered a model in the NIR and nationwide due to its best practices,” Losbañes said in a video feature posted by the city government.

Losbañes cited soil covering as among the practices being strictly implemented at the facility.

He also cited slope stabilization and benching as landfill management measures being undertaken by the city.

Leachate treatment and recirculation processes were also among the practices identified by the EMB-NIR official.

Losbañes further cited regular monitoring and seasonal gas emission testing at the landfill.

Despite the notice of violation, the city government said it continues to take steps to meet environmental requirements for the Barangay Felisa facility.

The Clean Water Act regulates the discharge of pollutants into the country’s water bodies and requires facilities to comply with applicable wastewater standards and permitting requirements.

The Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System, meanwhile, provides the framework for assessing the environmental consequences of projects and requiring covered developments to secure environmental clearance before operation.

An ECC establishes environmental conditions and commitments that a project proponent must observe, making the city’s pending applications for Cells No. 4 and 5 central to resolving the regulatory issues raised by EMB-NIR.

The case places renewed scrutiny on Bacolod’s waste-management infrastructure as the city seeks to keep its 900-metric-ton-per-day landfill operating while addressing environmental safeguards for wastewater, landfill expansion, and the continued use of its disposal cells.