Call for justice marks 1st month of Binaliw dumpsite tragedy

Local

A COALITION of environmental, labor, and youth groups renewed their call for justice one month after a deadly landfill landslide in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City killed 36 workers and injured at least 18 others, describing the tragedy as preventable and accountability as still absent.

To mark the first month since the incident, local civic groups, led by Code Green PH, said authorities have yet to launch a concrete and decisive investigation into the collapse, leaving families of the victims without clear answers, justice, or accountability.

They criticized what they described as a reliance on announcements and site visits instead of a transparent and independent probe, saying that “justice remains out of reach.”

After the incident, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), on the instruction of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., announced the formation of a multisectoral investigating panel.

The Cebu City government also conducted several site visits at the Barangay Binaliw landfill.

However, the coalition said these actions have not resulted in a genuine investigation and warned that probes conducted without independent oversight risk becoming mere formalities.

The groups also raised alarm over what they described as a push toward business-as-usual, citing announcements made as of Feb. 2 that operations at the landfill may resume once clearing requirements are met.

They said such plans place workers and surrounding communities at continued risk.

Authorities earlier issued a cease-and-desist order against PrimeWaste Solutions Inc., the private firm operating the landfill, forcing the Cebu City government to look for alternative waste disposal arrangements.

These included the temporary transfer of waste to Mandaue City and proposed landfill sites in Aloguinsan and Toledo City, with the concurrence of Cebu Governor Pam Baricuatro.

Despite these measures, the coalition stressed that temporary solutions and compliance requirements should not replace accountability for the deaths of the workers.

The groups asserted that PrimeWaste Solutions Inc. must be held directly accountable for the disaster, saying the company had the obligation to ensure safe working conditions, uphold occupational safety and health standards, and comply with environmental laws.

They said the deaths point to grave corporate negligence and possible willful violations, adding that any investigation that treats the company as a mere contractor rather than a principal party responsible for the tragedy is unacceptable.

Alongside corporate accountability, the coalition also cited regulatory failure and weak enforcement of occupational safety and environmental standards, saying responsibility should fall on institutions tasked to ensure safety and compliance in landfill operations, not on workers and nearby communities.

The organizations called for immediate and unconditional compensation and long-term support for the families of the victims, stressing that relief efforts must go hand in hand with justice.

To ensure transparency and credibility, the coalition urged the national government, particularly the DENR, to include independent local environmental organizations, labor groups, and civil society formations in Cebu in the investigating panel.

They also called on Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. to take direct responsibility by forming an inter-agency investigative body composed of the DENR, the Department of Labor and Employment, and local civil society organizations.

Beyond accountability, the groups said the tragedy exposed the absence of a clear, comprehensive, clean, and sustainable waste management program at both the city and national levels, warning that continued reliance on unsafe landfill operations and stopgap solutions puts workers and communities at constant risk.

“We remember, and we will not forget,” the coalition said. “The 36 lives lost in Barangay Binaliw were not statistics. Justice delayed is justice denied.”

Meanwhile, earlier, the Mandaue City Council had summoned officials of the landfill operator behind the Binaliw facility to provide updates on operations and the site’s remaining capacity.

Councilor Carlo Fortuna, who authored the resolution, said the briefing aims to assess the landfill’s viability, noting that officials initially expected the site to remain relatively flat under a 2019 agreement—an expectation contradicted by recent videos showing a now mountainous landfill.

Also, Cebu City Councilor Pastor Alcover Jr. called the landslide a “preventable tragedy” during a privilege speech before the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

Alcover said residents had long raised concerns about the landfill, and operations continued despite Archival’s statement last year that the site would be closed if violations persisted.

He criticized the lack of clear accountability for landfill management and urged the City Government to act decisively rather than rely solely on a DENR investigation.