Binaliw landfill expansion opposed

Local

NO Binaliw expansion without justice for 36.

Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera pointed this out as he questioned the possible use of an additional three hectares at the Binaliw landfill.

He said the site remains “morally and legally a crime scene” following the trash slide that killed 36 people.

In a privilege speech delivered during the City Council’s regular session on March 3, Garganera pressed for clear accountability over the January 8 tragedy before any talk of expansion, reopening, or new utilization proceeds.

“I understand that the mayor may have been under tremendous pressure because of our garbage situation. But how can we begin discussing expansion while the site was still a crime scene?” Garganera said.

“Before we revisit the scene, before we talk about reopening or utilizing the three hectares, let me ask, has anyone been held accountable for the 36 deaths?”

The January 8 trash slide at the Binaliw landfill claimed 36 lives, burying workers and residents when a large volume of waste collapsed late in the afternoon.

The incident prompted the closure of operations and an investigation by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Garganera acknowledged the city’s ongoing waste management crisis, describing it as “financially, environmentally, and operationally” strained. But he said urgency cannot override the need for justice.

“Closure is an immediate response. Accountability is a complete process,” he said.

The councilor recounted that less than 24 hours after the incident, while search and retrieval operations were still ongoing, he encountered Mayor Nestor Archival and discussions had already shifted to the possibility of using an unused three-hectare portion of the Binaliw site, as relayed by landfill operator PrimeWaste Solutions.

At that time, only a few bodies had been retrieved, with the death toll later rising to 36.

“For public safety, when a drunk driver causes a fatal hit and run, their license is immediately suspended pending investigation. We do not allow them to continue driving the next day as if nothing happened,” Garganera said.

Garganera questioned whether responsibility lies with PrimeWaste, the DENR, or the local government unit.

“If lives were lost under their watch, then regulatory action must be clear, decisive, and publicly explained,” he said.

He also cited a February 5 meeting with the mayor and an investigation team led by DENR Undersecretary Norlito Eneran.

According to Garganera, when he asked the team whether the site resembled a sanitary landfill or an open dumpsite, members answered “dumpsite.”

“That alone is enough to conclude that there is a major violation,” he said.

He urged the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) to release a comprehensive and final investigation report, including findings on liability and compliance failures.

He added that leadership changes at the DENR and EMB do not substitute for accountability, stressing that previous officials must still answer for any lapses.

Garganera warned against repeating the long wait for justice seen in the 2000 Payatas dumpsite tragedy in Quezon City, where hundreds died and accountability took nearly two decades.

“If we have learned anything from Payatas, it is that justice delayed erodes public trust and deepens the pain of those who lost loved ones,” he said.

He also cited a February 20 trash slide at the Rizal Provincial Sanitary Landfill that reportedly killed at least one person and left two others missing, noting that the site had experienced a similar fatal incident in 2013.

“These are not isolated cases,” he said. “How sure are we that another trash slide will not happen again? Are we prepared to risk more lives?”

In his speech, Garganera moved to call on the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and other relevant agencies to ensure justice and accountability in connection with the January 8 incident.

He also requested the DENR–EMB to submit a comprehensive and final investigation report to the City Council, prohibited any expansion, reopening, or utilization of the additional three‑hectare area in Binaliw until the investigation is concluded and accountability established.

He also required PrimeWaste Solutions to publicly present its safety, closure, and rehabilitation plan through an executive session.

Garganera further urged that any waste management facility or interim solution in Cebu City, including developments at the South Road Properties (SRP), strictly comply with sanitary landfill standards and not operate as an open dumpsite.

Meanwhile, the councilor said that if, and only if, the investigation is completed and the operator complies with safe closure and rehabilitation standards, the city can begin discussing the possible use of the additional land.

He added that any future use of the three hectares should be offered to the city “for free” as part of restitution, and not as an added financial burden on residents.

“I do not care what technology is chosen for Cebu City — waste-to-energy, incinerator, engineered solutions. That is secondary,” he said. “What matters is this: It must not be an open dump site.”

“As much as we want to move forward, we cannot move on while justice remains unfinished,” Garganera said. “We cannot build over unanswered deaths.”(TGP)