The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) has declared the Albur Sanitary Landfill fully operational following an inspection conducted on January 17, 2025, contradicting local government plans for closure and rehabilitation.
TIEZA Project Monitoring Division Manager Engr. Noel Yambao made this announcement during an emergency meeting convened by Bohol Governor ArisAumentado with representatives from 18 municipalities utilizing the facility.
The meeting, held at the New Capitol on February 4, notably proceeded without Alburquerque Mayor Don Ritchie Buates, whose municipality hosts the landfill.
“The facility is functioning properly and has sufficient capacity. What it requires is proper maintenance and management, not closure,” Yambao said during the presentation of their technical findings.
The inspection revealed minor operational issues, including floating plastics and residual waste in mixing tanks, vegetation debris affecting treatment processes, a malfunctioning compressor impacting aeration, and overgrown vegetation in the siltation pond.
TIEZA has already submitted a technical report and recommendations to its board regarding these concerns.
In a related development, 17 member municipalities of the Albur Sanitary Landfill Board have united in opposition to Mayor Buates’ unilateral decision to close the facility.
The mayors assert that such decisions must come from the entire board as stipulated in their memorandum of agreement, not solely from the host municipality.
Lila Mayor Arturo Jed Piollo noted a troubling pattern, saying that the landfill’s closure becomes a recurring issue during election periods.
The mayors are now calling for a review of the facility’s memorandum of agreement to clarify decision-making protocols.
The coalition of 17 mayors has filed a petition requesting TIEZA’s intervention, citing the authority’s ownership rights over the facility.
Governor Aumentado has personally reached out to TIEZA Chief Operating Officer Mark Lapid to address the situation.
In another development, Loon mayoralty candidate Yul Lopez has proposed creating a new landfill cluster with neighboring municipalities to address waste management problems in the western part of the province.
The landfill, which serves as a critical waste management facility for 18 municipalities in Bohol, has become increasingly vital for the province’s tourism and environmental sustainability efforts.
The facility’s operation affects waste management services for approximately 500,000 residents across the participating municipalities.
The board was scheduled to meet this week at the Alburquerque municipal hall, where the 17 opposing mayors plan to formally present their position against the closure.
TIEZA’s technical assessment and the unified stance of the majority of member municipalities suggest that the landfill’s operational woes can be addressed through improved maintenance and management rather than closure, setting the stage for a potential legal conflict if the host municipality proceeds with its closure plans.