Hontiveros seeks probe into waste management system

CEBU, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a proposed resolution seeking a Senate investigation into the country’s solid waste management system following the collapse of the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City, on January 8, which claimed the lives of 36 individuals.

Hontiveros said the Binaliw incident was not an isolated tragedy but a manifestation of deep-rooted and systemic failures in the implementation and enforcement of the country’s solid waste management framework.

“Ang trahedyang ito ay hindi lang aksidente,” Hontiveros said, stressing that the landfill collapse was the result of long-standing regulatory gaps, weak enforcement, and an overreliance on landfill-based waste disposal that pushed facilities beyond safe operational limits.

The resolution cited a Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) report that warned of a looming nationwide trash crisis driven by increasing waste volumes, overflowing landfills, weak waste diversion systems, distorted business incentives, and poor enforcement of existing environmental laws.

It also referenced a 2023 Commission on Audit (COA) report that flagged the Binaliw landfill as “at risk of running out of capacity according to regulatory standards for future waste in the short run.”

Despite corrective orders issued by the Cebu City Solid Waste Management Board for open dumping violations, residents in nearby communities continued to report foul odors, fly infestations, and other health hazards.

In January 2026, the landfill collapsed under the weight of accumulated garbage, steel, and heavy machinery.

Hontiveros warned that the country’s landfill-dependent model of waste disposal is no longer viable, as disposal facilities nationwide are rapidly reaching maximum capacity while available land for new sites continues to shrink.

Under Republic Act No. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, landfills are intended only as a last resort for residual waste that cannot be reused, recycled, composted, or diverted to other resource recovery activities.

However, the resolution noted that as landfill capacity is exhausted, many local government units have been forced to haul garbage to distant disposal sites, driving up operational costs.

“The City of Manila has increased garbage fees by as much as 1,200 percent for business owners following the closure of the Navotas Sanitary Landfill, which compelled the city to transport waste to the San Mateo Sanitary Landfill in Rizal,” the resolution stated.

The proposed probe also flagged the abolition of the Multi-Partite Monitoring Team, which limited the detection of violations of Environmental Compliance Certificates and may have allowed landfill operators to bypass safety and environmental standards, exposing nearby communities to serious health risks.

In addition, the resolution called for a review of waste-to-energy initiatives, cautioning that such projects may worsen environmental and public health risks by creating monetary incentives for excessive dumping rather than promoting waste reduction and sustainable alternatives.

“Huwag na nating itambak pa ang problema sa basura,” Hontiveros said. “Kailangan ng pananagutan at malinaw na reporma, para hindi na maulit ang sinapit ng komunidad sa Binaliw.”

Marcos earlier resolution

Earlier, Senator Imee Marcos also filed a Senate resolution calling for a Senate inquiry into the incident that occurred in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City, as well as the current condition and management of landfills across the country.

Marcos, in her visit to Cebu last month, raised serious concerns over the country’s long-standing failures in solid waste management, citing the recent Binaliw landslide incident in Cebu City as a grim reminder of weak enforcement of environmental and waste disposal laws.

Marcos described the situation as a nationwide problem, noting that despite decades of legislation, improper waste disposal sites, particularly open dumpsites, remain widespread and dangerous. — (FREEMAN)