BACOLOD City — “Sobra na!” This was the statement of Councilor Homer Bais, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) Committee on Environment and Ecology, directed at Bacolod City’s garbage contractor, IPM-Construction Development Corp. (IPM-CDC).
Last week, the SP approved Bais’ proposed resolution demanding that IPM-CDC comply with its contractual obligations.
“We have passed the resolution demanding IPM-CDC’s compliance with the contract, which will end this coming December. Yet until now, they have failed to deliver even one of the 20 three-wheeled vehicles,” Bais said.
He added that the contractor’s continued “defiance,” coupled with its “very poor performance” in garbage hauling and collection, has become unacceptable.
Bais emphasized that the contract also requires IPM-CDC to augment the city government’s operations during calamities.
“They were supposed to support the city by adding vehicles to help collect fallen tree debris from cleared roads—but they failed to do so,” he said.
According to the resolution, one of the contractor’s key obligations under Section 3, Clause 1.1, paragraph 2 of the Contract Agreement is the provision and turnover of 20 three-wheeled motorized garbage collection units to designated barangays inaccessible to standard garbage trucks. This is to be done at no additional cost to the city government.
The respective barangays, meanwhile, will shoulder subsequent maintenance, operating costs, and staffing, subject to Barangay Environment and Natural Resources Office (BENRO) standards.
The contract is set to expire in December 2025. Despite multiple notices and communications from the city, IPM-CDC has failed to turn over the required equipment—constituting a material breach that hinders the smooth transition and continuity of essential public services.
Bais stressed that the immediate turnover of these vehicles is critical to the city’s environmental service program and disaster response.
“Had they complied earlier, these vehicles would have greatly supported clearing and disaster relief operations after the recent typhoon,” he said, highlighting the urgency of the equipment’s deployment.
The resolution demands that IPM-CDC immediately comply and fully turn over the 20 three-wheeled vehicles to the designated barangays upon the adoption of the measure.
Bais warned that failure to comply will compel the City Legal Office (CLO) to pursue all available legal remedies and impose sanctions—including liquidated damages and/or contract termination—as allowed under the agreement and relevant laws./PN
