Aside from flooding in Cebu City, the trash crisis is a more pressing issue that needs to be addressed.

This was the assessment of former Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu after the inspection of Mahiga Creek, which runs through six barangays in Cebu City and Mandaue City, with Mayor Michael Rama.

Cimatu, who was appointed as overseer of the City's Task Force Gubat sa Baha (a task force on the war against flood) in 2022, said concerns related to garbage, the quality of the river's water, and the presence of unauthorized structures along its banks.

"I've been here for one year but only this time that I saw the bigger problem for the City of Cebu. I was hoping that my presence here… is for the flooding, but there are bigger problems aside from flooding," he told media.

"We have to solve the garbage problem. We must be committed to do that," he added.

"There is garbage in the river every time. You clean it for one week, the following week it's back," Cimatu said.

"In other words, the barangay captain, he or she is responsible for the garbage," he insisted.

As for the river's water quality, Cimatu said it is important to restore the water quality in every river in the city.

"Earlier, I saw water released from the drainage coming from the houses, from the structures going to the river," he disclosed.

Most of the city's rivers have high coliform levels due to contamination from various drainage systems. The presence of contaminated water from houses has led to unpleasant odors in rivers.

Meanwhile, illegal structures Cimatu first thought were not a problem concerning the three-meter easement zone. "I thought they were concentrated along the Lahug River, but they are everywhere," Cimatu stressed.