Audit warnings ignored: Binaliw landfill among riskiest

CEBU, Philippines — The deadly collapse of Binaliw landfill, which claimed the lives of 36 waste workers and a volunteer rescuer, was not an unforeseeable accident but the result of long-ignored warnings and systemic failures in the country's solid waste management system, senators said on Monday as they opened an inquiry into the tragedy.

During the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change hearing, lawmakers revealed that Binaliw had already been identified as one of the country's five most critical landfill sites, with previous government audits warning of its deteriorating condition.

Senator Risa Hontiveros questioned Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-7 Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Regional Director Atty. John Edward Ang, who cited the earthquake and the flooding brought by Typhoon Tino as the external triggers of the January landfill collapse.

Ang said the EMB's initial assessment found that accumulated rainwater and leachate buildup inside the landfill contributed to the trash slide.

Hontiveros, however, argued that natural events alone did not cause the disaster.

Citing a 2023 Commission on Audit performance audit, she noted that Binaliw had already been classified as being in "critical condition" because of its high disposal rate and the absence of adequate waste diversion facilities.

“Hindi naman pala nagkulang sa babala tungkol sa Binaliw,” she said, stressing that the tragedy had been foreseeable.

She also questioned the landfill's design, noting that its Material Recovery Facility (MRF) was built within the landfill area, raising concerns about slope stability and the continued disposal of unsegregated waste.

Hontiveros asked whether biodegradable waste mixed with heavy non-biodegradable materials had already weakened the landfill before it collapsed. Ang admitted that this possibility remains part of the ongoing investigation.

Five critical landfill sites

Environment Secretary Atty. Juan Miguel T. Cuna confirmed that five landfill sites nationwide have been flagged as being under imminent danger of fire or collapse.

DENR-EMB Director Atty. Michael Drake P. Matias identified these as Binaliw in Cebu City, and landfill sites in Navotas, Davao, Urdaneta and Montalban.

He said the facilities had already undergone audits and require urgent preventive measures.

The hearing likewise exposed widespread deficiencies in the establishment and operation of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), a key requirement under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

Senator Raffy Tulfo asked DENR and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) officials whether local officials had been held accountable for failing to establish MRFs.

DENR officials were unable to provide a direct answer, while a DILG representative acknowledged that many local government units remain non-compliant despite MRFs being one of the indicators under the Seal of Good Local Governance.

Tulfo and Hontiveros warned that the absence of functioning MRFs has resulted in unsegregated waste being dumped directly into landfills, increasing their instability and disaster risks.

Cebu's mounting waste problem

Appearing via Zoom, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said the city generates between 600 and 700 tons of garbage daily, with about 60 percent biodegradable, 30 percent consisting of plastics and other recyclable materials, and only 10 to 15 percent classified as residual waste.

Despite this, he said, nearly all of the city's garbage still ends up in the landfill.

Archival said Cebu City spends nearly P1 billion annually on garbage hauling, calling the amount "unsustainable."

He stressed that stricter enforcement of waste segregation laws must be complemented by investments in composting facilities, recycling plants, plastic processing centers and resource recovery systems.

“We can require segregation and impose penalties, but if there are no adequate facilities, the segregated waste will still end up in landfills. That is not sustainable. The landfill should be the last option, not the first solution,” he said.

Archival urged senators to support funding for composting and waste recovery programs, warning that leachate contamination and greenhouse gas emissions would continue to worsen unless only residual waste is disposed of in landfills.

Calls for accountability

Patrice Valero of Greenpeace urged the Senate to release the government's full investigation report and make its findings public.

Greenpeace, together with the Justice for PrimeWaste 39 network, has filed a freedom of information request seeking compliance records, facility plans and environmental assessments related to the Binaliw landfill.

Valero said the victims' families, waste workers and nearby communities deserve answers, adding that the findings could help prevent similar disasters.

Community groups, including Allianz and Code 3 PH volunteers, also documented pollution around the landfill and unsafe working conditions.

Waste workers alleged they were provided inadequate protective equipment and that both the landfill operator and government regulators failed to exercise proper oversight.

Sonia Mendoza of the Mother Earth Foundation warned that similar tragedies could occur elsewhere unless Republic Act 9003 is fully implemented.

“Only 20–25 percent should reach landfills, but almost none are limiting disposal to residual waste,” she said.

Lawmakers said Monday's hearing showed that the Binaliw collapse was not an isolated incident but the culmination of years of ignored warnings, inadequate waste diversion facilities and weak enforcement of the country's solid waste management law. They said further revelations are expected when the Senate inquiry resumes. — (FREEMAN)