CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 10 has issued a Show Cause Letter to City Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy for the alleged violations found at the city’s sanitary landfill in Barangay Pagalungan.
The letter, dated September 18, 2025, was received by the Office of the Mayor on September 25, and stemmed from an inspection conducted by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-10) on September 11. The inspection revealed at least three major violations in the operation and maintenance of the landfill, which the agency said failed to comply with conditions set under its Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).
According to the DENR report, inspectors found that waste continues to be dumped on the unlined portion of the access road to Cell 3, covering an estimated 6,800 square meters—a clear violation of ECC Condition No. 19. The agency stressed that this area lacks the necessary high-density polyethylene (HDPE) liner, leachate collection system, and gas control measures required for proper landfill operation.
Moreover, the leachate impoundment ponds for Cells 2 and 3 have exceeded the allowable one-meter freeboard, posing a risk of overflow during heavy rainfall. The leachate and treated wastewater reportedly had a reddish-brown coloration, suggesting incomplete treatment that could violate effluent standards under DENR Administrative Order 2016-08.
Inspectors also observed that leachate from Cell 1 continues to drain through an unconnected culvert into a nearby canal, which flows to the Buracan Creek and Iponan River. This was deemed a non-compliance with ECC Condition No. 12 and poses a potential threat of surface water contamination.
The DENR warned that failure by the city government to adequately respond to the show cause order within 15 days could result in administrative and criminal charges under Republic Act No. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
In its directive, DENR-10 ordered the Cagayan de Oro LGU to immediately stop dumping in unlined areas, remove and transfer improperly disposed waste to engineered Cell 3, maintain the proper freeboard level in the leachate ponds, and plug the leachate flow from Cell 1 leading to nearby waterways.
Regional Director Reynaldo S. Digamo of EMB-10 signed the letter and emphasized the need for the local government’s strict compliance to prevent further environmental risks.
As of press time, the DENR is awaiting the formal response from Mayor Uy or the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO) regarding the show cause letter.