Garbage landslide in Cebu kills 1, injures 12, leaves 38 missing

This is a developing story.

MANILA, Philippines — The garbage landslide at a Cebu landfill caused the collapse of a materials recovery facility and nearby staff housing, killing one person, injuring 12, and leaving 38 others missing as of Friday morning, January 9.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, search and rescue operations are ongoing at Barangay Binaliw, Cebu, where multiple people were reported trapped under debris on Thursday afternoon, January 8, when the landslide occurred.

One of the reported fatalities is a 22-year-old woman. Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said the Binaliw Landfill employs 110 workers, of whom 12 injured individuals have been rescued and hospitalized, while 38 remain missing.

Seven of the hospitalized are receiving treatment at Visayas Medical Center, and five are at NorthGen Hospital.

All reported casualties are still being verified by the Cebu City local government.

Rescue operations ongoing

Authorities have set up tents and shaded areas to provide families of affected employees with shelter and assistance, while personnel give hourly updates on the situation. The city government has also prepared burial assistance for the family of the deceased.

A total of 333 personnel have been deployed, including members of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Bureau of Fire Protection, Armed Forces of the Philippines, fire brigades, DRRM units, national agencies, and partner local governments.

Seventeen ambulances, 10 fire trucks, and three lighting towers have also been mobilized to support rescue operations.

Questions raised over landfill conditions

Archival said in a Friday press conference that the garbage landslide is not a public health crisis.

However, Councilor Joel Garganera said the landslide was sudden and may have been triggered by repeated mountain cutting, soil mining, and the piling of garbage — conditions that effectively turned the site into an open dumpsite rather than a sanitary landfill.

The city government is coordinating with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which visited the site on Friday morning.

The roughly 20-hectare landfill, which Archival said is the primary drop station for garbage in Cebu City, is operated by Razon-owned Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. — a subsidiary of Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. 

The Cebu City mayor said he had already talked to the waste firm's president, who told him they are also ready to help the government and extend support to their affected employees.

The mayor added that he had earlier issued a warning to the company after the Solid Waste Management Board found violations of the Solid Ecological Waste Management Act.

Asked what action would be taken against the company, Archival said it would be up to the DENR to determine any violations. He added that the government is working on composting projects and strictly enforcing waste segregation policies.   — with reports from The Freeman