Senate scrutinizes Binaliw landfill tragedy; DENR says five dumpsites now considered critical

National

MORE than six months after the deadly collapse of Cebu City's Binaliw Sanitary Landfill, senators on Monday, July 20, questioned environment officials over why earlier warning signs failed to avert the tragedy.

This, as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) disclosed that five sanitary landfills nationwide are now considered critical.

During a Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change hearing, Sen. Risa Hontiveros cited a 2023 Commission on Audit (COA) performance audit that had warned the Binaliw landfill was nearing capacity because of increasing waste volumes and inadequate waste diversion facilities.

Hontiveros asked DENR officials whether operational deficiencies—including poor waste segregation, landfill management practices, or other internal conditions—were also being investigated as possible factors in the collapse.

Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)-Central Visayas Director Atty. John Edward Ang said the agency's initial findings indicated that repeated earthquake activity, followed by heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Tino, saturated the landfill and triggered the collapse.

Investigators also found substantial amounts of leachate flowing from the site after the incident, Ang said, reinforcing the assessment that water had accumulated within the landfill before the trash slide occurred.

Hontiveros, however, argued that rainfall and seismic activity alone could not fully explain the disaster, noting that both are common occurrences in Cebu.

Ang responded that investigators were still evaluating other possible contributing factors, although prolonged rainfall remained the primary finding at this stage of the investigation.

The senator also requested records showing how many landfill operators nationwide had previously received warnings from the DENR, COA, or other government agencies, and whether those recommendations had been implemented.

DENR Sec. Juan Miguel Cuna said the information remained with DENR regional offices, adding that the agency would submit a consolidated report to the committee.

The hearing also examined why the Binaliw collapse resulted in a high number of fatalities.

Ang said many of the victims had been working at the landfill's materials recovery facility, which was located within the landfill compound below the waste mound, placing workers directly in the path of the debris when the landfill gave way.

Patrice Valero, climate campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, urged the committee to pressure local officials to release the government's investigation into the incident to the public.

EMB Director Atty. Michael Drake Matias also disclosed that in January, the EMB directed its regional offices to assess all operational sanitary landfills nationwide.

Based on those assessments, five sites—including Binaliw—were identified for close monitoring because of risks such as fires and slope instability.

Joining the hearing virtually, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said the Binaliw collapse underscored the need to invest in composting, recycling, and other waste processing facilities instead of relying heavily on landfills.

Archival said Cebu City generates between 600 and 700 tons of waste daily, about 60 percent of which is biodegradable, while only 10 to 15 percent is residual waste that requires landfill disposal.

However, he said waste segregation alone would not solve the country's garbage problem without sufficient facilities to process segregated waste.

"If there is no adequate composting, recycling, and upcycling facilities, the segregated waste will still end up in the landfill," he said.

The mayor said Cebu City has been transporting its waste to a landfill about 80 kilometers away since the Binaliw collapse, significantly increasing hauling costs.

He urged lawmakers to fund composting facilities, saying they would reduce dependence on landfills, cut methane emissions from decomposing waste, and convert biodegradable waste into compost that could support agricultural production.(MyTVCebu)