TACLOBAN CITY – The Leyte Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) has directed Cleanaway Philippines Inc. to submit updated Resolutions of No Objection (RINO) from the barangay and local government unit (LGU) where it operates before acting on the company’s permit renewal with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB).
The order was issued during the SP’s regular session on September 23, 2025, after company representatives appeared before the provincial board. Cleanaway Philippines operates a waste treatment facility inside the Leyte Industrial Development Estate (LIDE) in Isabel, Leyte.
Under Leyte’s Environmental Code, companies with potential environmental impacts must secure a RINO from the concerned barangay, municipality or city, and the provincial board before they are allowed to operate.
Board Member Carlo Loreto, chair of the committee on disaster risk reduction, said the resolutions Cleanaway submitted were dated 2022.
“That’s why, on the motion of Hon. Ronnan Reposar, they were required to submit more recent resolutions before we can act on their request,” Loreto said.
He added that the requirement ensures “social acceptability” of company operations.
“Is it safe, is it good, is it advantageous for the people of Leyte whom we represent?” Loreto said.
Cleanaway’s appearance this week followed a tri-committee meeting led by Loreto bringing together the committees on environment, health, and disaster risk reduction. Officials from EMB-8 were also present.
The meeting was convened in response to a July 2025 incident where over 300 drums of hospital waste from Mandaue City were transported by Cleanaway to its LIDE facility — a move provincial board members said violated the environmental code.
During the meeting, EMB and company representatives admitted they were not aware of the ordinance but assured the provincial board of their willingness to comply with its requirements.
The provincial board will deliberate on whether to issue its own RINO for Cleanaway Philippines once the updated barangay and municipal resolutions are submitted.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
