City told to monitor Binaliw compliance

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has directed Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival to take an active role in monitoring Prime Waste Solutions Cebu, Inc. (PWSI) following the full lifting of the cease-and-desist order against the Binaliw landfill.

In an August 17, 2026 letter to the mayor, DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)-7 Director Atty. John Edward T. Ang said the lifting of the order did not signal the end of government oversight but the start of a stricter monitoring process.

“The office has granted the full lifting of the cease-and-desist order against Prime Waste Solutions Cebu, Inc… We request the assistance of the City Government of Cebu in monitoring compliance with the conditions stipulated in the full lifting order,” Ang wrote.

He stressed that the city government must help ensure that rehabilitation works, slope stabilization and monitoring systems are properly enforced.

“The lifting of the order does not mean the end of oversight. It is only the beginning of a more rigorous monitoring process that requires the cooperation of the local government,” he added.

The DENR directive effectively places the Cebu City government at the forefront of monitoring PWSI's compliance with the conditions attached to the lifting order.

The city is also tasked to coordinate with the multipartite monitoring team (MMT), a body established to promote transparency and accountability in landfill operations.

For the Binaliw landfill, the MMT is composed of representatives from the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), two representatives from the Pollution Control Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PCAPI), the barangay captain of Binaliw, and two homeowners or private-sector representatives from the barangay.

The composition brings together government regulators, emergency responders, industry representatives and members of the affected community in monitoring landfill operations.

In a separate communication dated August 13, 2026, Ang wrote to PWSI General Manager Arsenio R. Abellana Jr., detailing the conditions under which the landfill could resume operations.

He ordered that the acceptance of residual waste be confined to the toe cell and interim cell areas, subject to a maximum limit of 500 metric tons per day.

The limit is a sharp reduction from the landfill's previous capacity of around 1,000 metric tons daily before the January 2026 collapse, which killed 36 workers and one volunteer rescuer.

The reduced volume is intended to ease pressure on the landfill's structure and help prevent another disaster.

Ang also required the establishment of an adequate buffer zone to protect surrounding communities, the installation and maintenance of high-definition closed-circuit television systems at strategic locations, and the conduct of regular MMT meetings and site validations.

He emphasized that rehabilitation works, benching activities and slope stabilization measures must continue without delay.

“Acceptance of residual wastes shall be confined to the toe cell and interim cell areas… rehabilitation and slope stabilization must be sustained to ensure safety and compliance,” Ang wrote.

The DENR also directed PWSI to submit within 15 days its measures to address the possible effects of the forthcoming El Niño phenomenon.

The requirement reflects the agency's concern that extreme weather conditions could further affect the stability of the landfill.

Technical safeguards, including benching—where slopes are cut into horizontal steps to improve stability—and slope stabilization measures to reinforce landfill structures, were identified as critical in preventing erosion and another collapse.

The Binaliw landfill has remained closed since the January tragedy, forcing the Cebu City government to haul its garbage to Aloguinsan at a cost of millions of pesos.

The city generates an estimated 600 to 700 tons of waste daily, exceeding the landfill's new 500-ton daily cap and leaving a potential shortfall of at least 100 tons.

PWSI had skipped recent bidding rounds, citing the DENR's partial lifting of the cease-and-desist order as a reason.

With the full lifting now in place, city officials are hoping the company will participate in the next procurement cycle.

Meanwhile, environmental groups and Cebu City Council environment committee chairman Councilor Joel Garganera continue to call for the release of the DENR's full investigation report on the landfill collapse to ensure accountability and protect public safety. — (FREEMAN)