Councilor Salcedo Urges CdeO Mayor Uy Not To Pay Garbage Contractor Due To Contract Violations

By Mona Lagbas

October 22,2025, Cagayan de Oro City_2nd district City Councilor Enrico "Eric" Dael Salcedo has recommended to Mayor Rolando "Klarex" Uy not to pay Jomara, the city's garbage collector, for allegedly violating its contract with the local government unit.

Salcedo, chair of the City Council's environment committee, Wednesday said that Jomara allegedly failed to fulfill its contracted duties such as proper maintenance of the sanitary landfill in Barangay Pagalungan, and lack of equipment on Jomara's end. These infractions, Salcedo added, led to the Environmental Management Bureau's issuance of a show cause order to City Hall for non-compliance with Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act. Salcedo also disclosed that had not the City Engineer's Office acted on the road problem in the landfill area, the garbage collection situation would not be remedied.

CdeO's 2nd district Councilor Eric Salcedo, left, EMB RD Reynaldo S. Digami, center, and ABC federation and Gusa Punong Barangay Marlo Tabac hold a press conference at the DENR regional office Wednesday, on the status of garbage collection and sanitary landfill operations in the city. Photo by Mona Lagbas.

Salcedo, a comebacking legislator after serving three terms until 2022, also bewailed the alleged lack of serviceable equipment of Jomara which he said led to alleged inefficient garbage collection and disposal, despite the stipulated contract rate of PhP150 million.

Speaking at a press conference at the regional office of the Department of Natural Resources -10, attended by Environmental Management Bureau's Director Reynaldo S. Digamo and Liga Ng Mga Barangay Sectoral Representative and Gusa Village Chief Marlo Tabac, Salcedo strongly recommended to the local chief executive not to pay Jomara.

However, Councilor Salcedo reported that after an ocular inspection by Mayor Uy and EMB RD Digamo at the Sanitary Landfill site at Barangay Pagalungan, the EMB rated the facility, in a scale of 1 to 10, as 7, after compliance of certain criteria in its operations.