JUST LIKE THE trash explosion in Payatas, Quezon City in 2000 where at least 200 were killed, the trashslide that happened in Binaliw, Cebu last week was inevitable amid a huge pile that kept on absorbing rains and floods in late November until December 2025 and the unabated scavenging and erection of shanties in the area.
Much like the open pit mining tragedies, the trashslide in both Payatas (in 2000) and Binaliw 25 years later, could not sustain the elevation (when most global landfills use deep surfaces as base, rather than ground level) plus the pressure of heavy rains and floods in previous months– leading to accidents waiting to happen.
BBC reported that the death toll in a collapsed 25-hectare landfill owned by the Razon Group in the central Philippines has risen to 11, although hopes of finding more survivors at this point seem negligible. At the time of the accident, Binaliw landfill had over 100 workers on site.
Rescuers have so far extracted 18 still being treated at the hospitals from the debris, but at least 28 more are said to be missing. One local fire official had earlier told AFP that it was unlikely for “people to still be alive” three days after “tons of debris and trash had collapsed over them.”
USUAL TEMPLATE
The government, as usual, recommended an investigation on the cause of collapse and review of the country’s waste management systems.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), ever the last to take action on every environmental catastrophe, ordered Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. to suspend its activities at the site.
The company, which is reportedly controlled by the country’s richest man – Enrique Razon, was asked to “submit a compliance plan within 90 days,” the DENR regional office said in a statement on Monday.
The department also said it would conduct an investigation into the cause of the collapse and hold to account the responsible parties.
As expected, grandstanding legislators like Sen. Imee Marcos, called for reviews of the country’s waste management system and working conditions of waste workers. “This should have never happened. We have seen similar tragedies before, yet the same dangers persist,” BBC quoted her saying.
“The lives lost in Cebu demand clear answers and real reforms.”
EARLY WARNINGS
Bienvinido Ranido, who lives near the landfill and whose wife worked there, told Reuters that he saw people fleeing from the site last week, saying the “garbage exploded.”
“I quickly took my motorcycle and rushed to the landfill. When I got there, I saw the collapsed building and it was buried by the garbage. I just screamed.” he said. Rescuers retrieved his wife’s body the next day.
Interestingly, the local Mines and GeoSciences Bureau (MGB) blamed nature, or the continuous rainfall in recent weeks, which made the rubbish heavier, along with other engineering factors, local media reported.
Landfills are common in major Philippine cities like Cebu, which is the trading centre and transportation gateway of the Visayas, the archipelago nation’s central islands.
BINALIW TIMELINE
Last Sunday, Sun Star Cebu said the operations of the landfill in the mountain barangay of Binaliw, Cebu City, have faced controversy, management changes and environmental violations. Residents, environmental regulators and city officials scrutinized the facility for years before the deadly collapse that drew global attention.
The DENR issued the ECC (environmental clearance certificate) to the landfill on November 3, 2017 to ARN Central Waste Management Inc. (ACI), the landfill’s original operator. The certificate required compliance with environmental safeguards for waste disposal.
In April 2018 the landfill development moved forward after the Cebu City Zoning Board approved a special land use permit to ARN Builders, the mother company of ACI, to develop a 10-ha. private sanitary landfill in Sitio Kainsikan, Barangay Binaliw, pending City Council approval.
Binaliw residents and nearby communities attended public hearings, where some sought safety assurances and fencing. Project consultants told officials the facility would follow sanitary landfill standards, including the phased use of two dumping pits with projected lifespans of five and 15 years.
FLAGRANT VIOLATIONS
By May to June 2019, environmental violations were flagged. The environmental management bureau (EMB7) issued violation notices against ACI for improper garbage hauling and missing monitoring reports.
The operator acknowledged the deficiencies and said corrective measures were underway. Barangay officials and residents complained of foul odors and health risks during the same period. Some questioned if actual operations matched the approved permits.
By June 2019, debates over partnership with the city government through the Department of Public Services (DPS), signing a P65-million contract with ACI after the company won the bidding process. City officials debated the partnership’s long-term viability.
The DPS said the contract addressed immediate waste management needs, but officials said the incoming administration of Mayor-elect Edgardo Labella would decide the site’s future.
BELOW STANDARDS
Councilor Joel Garganera, a landfill critic who later chaired the council’s environment committee, said in privilege speeches that the facility failed to meet sanitary standards.
He criticized the design and said operators were effectively “mining” the mountain to create a new “mountain of garbage,” likening the operation to an open dumpsite.
A month later, the city began dumping waste at the Binaliw landfill after then-mayor Tomas Osmeña signed the disposal contract with ACI, despite unresolved environmental concerns.
Exactly a year later, the ECC was amended by the DENR on June 3 imposing additional conditions and safeguards, which ACI committed to, including enhanced monitoring systems, under continued regulatory oversight.
RAZON STEPS IN
In January 2023, Razon’s Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PWSI), a subsidiary of Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc., took over landfill operations. Prime Infra completed the acquisition of ARN Central Waste Management Inc. giving PWS operational control.
In March 2024, the automated MRF (materials recovery facility) was launched, touted as the Philippines’ first, to reduce landfill residue to 20 percent.
In August 2024, again violations were flagged by the Cebu City Solid Waste Management Board, finding the landfill violating the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act during an August 30 inspection.
Officials said portions of the site resembled open dumping, which raised compliance concerns.
The City handled the issue with kid gloves and only ordered corrective measures and continued monitoring rather than outright suspension, drawing criticism from environmental groups and residents.
In September 2024, over 150 residents protested asking the city to do something about the persistent foul odors, health risks and fly infestations. Then-acting mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia gave operators one week to address odor and wastewater issues.
STERN WARNING
On June 7, 2025, a closure warning was issued by Mayor-elect Nestor Archival that he would shut down the landfill if environmental violations, including untreated wastewater and foul odors, persisted. He said protecting public health and nearby communities would be his administration’s priority.
Last January 8, 2026, the landfill collapsed at past 4 p.m., triggering a landslide that buried workers and structures. Rescuers responded immediately. The incident caused multiple fatalities and injuries.
Authorities suspended operations, disrupting waste disposal in Cebu City and neighboring areas. The collapse renewed calls for stricter environmental law enforcement and a comprehensive review of regional waste management systems.
EXPECTED RESULTS
Just like the case of Payatas dumpsite on July 10, 2000, the affected residents sued the city government, which was found liable.
The tragedy spurred the passage of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2001(RA 9003), mandating closure of open dumpsites.
Payatas was converted into a controlled disposal facility, with slope stabilization, improved drainage and methane control measures. The event highlighted the vulnerability of marginalized communities and led to ongoing efforts to manage the site and support affected residents.
The Payatas tragedy became a stark symbol of urban poverty, environmental neglect, and the dangerous conditions faced by informal settlers, prompting significant policy changes and long-term rehabilitation projects for the dumpsite.
MAYOR SLIDES BACK
When Mayor Archival warned last June 7, 2025 that he would close the landfill if environmental violations, including untreated wastewater and foul odors, persisted, then why did he not do it?
Was he afraid of Razon; or did the tycoon resort to shortcuts to forego further costs in its operations or was there corruption in this case?
How many more lives must be lost before we act? What were the laws following the Payatas disaster for– just for Quezon City?
If Mayor Archival stated that protecting public health and nearby communities would be his administration’s priority, I can’t help but wonder what happened to this pronouncement.