Binaliw Landfill Can Reopen—But Is It Really Safe? Cebu Officials Demand Answers

CEBU CITY — The Binaliw landfill may have been cleared for reopening, but Cebu City officials are still asking a crucial question:

Is the facility actually safe enough to receive garbage again?

The issue resurfaced during a Cebu City Council meeting on Tuesday, September 8, where officials raised concerns over unresolved safety, engineering and environmental safeguards at the landfill in Barangay Binaliw.

The concerns come about eight months after a massive garbage slide at the facility killed 36 people on January 8, 2026. The disaster prompted the closure of the landfill and triggered a wider examination of waste-management practices and landfill safety in Cebu.

Despite the tragedy, the Environmental Management Bureau 7 (EMB-7) lifted its cease-and-desist order on the facility in August, effectively clearing the way for operations to resume.

But city officials say regulatory clearance does not automatically answer every question about the site's physical safety.

City officials raise several unresolved concerns

During the council discussion, city inspectors reportedly flagged concerns involving several safety systems at the landfill.

Among the issues raised were the reported absence or insufficiency of:

• fire-protection equipment;
• early-warning systems;
• gas vents;
• leachate collection infrastructure; and
• documentation or technical evidence needed to establish that the facility can safely operate.

Another major concern involves the stability of the landfill's slopes.

The Office of the Building Official and the city's disaster-risk reduction office reportedly declined to give an assurance that the slope is stable.

That leaves a critical question hanging over the facility:

Who can definitively certify that the mountain of waste will not collapse again?

Landfill operator disputes some of the concerns

The landfill operator, Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Cebu Inc. (PWS), has disputed some of the issues raised by city officials.

PWS manager Niño Abellana said gas vents are located at the top of the landfill area and that wastewater drainage is connected to holding tanks, according to SunStar.

The operator has also previously cited remedial measures involving gas vents, leachate treatment documentation, geotechnical analysis and rainwater management as part of efforts to address concerns surrounding the facility.

The disagreement highlights the central problem facing Cebu:

The operator says measures have been implemented or are being addressed, while some city officials want additional technical proof that the facility is safe.

Why the January tragedy still matters

The debate cannot be separated from what happened on January 8.

A huge portion of the Binaliw landfill collapsed, sending garbage and debris down the site and killing dozens of people.

The disaster became one of the deadliest landfill accidents in the Philippines in recent years.

Investigations and subsequent discussions raised questions about factors including waste accumulation, slope stability, rainfall and engineering practices. The incident also prompted the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to order a broader review of landfill safety nationwide.

That history makes every technical question about Binaliw particularly important.

A missing fire extinguisher at an ordinary facility might be treated as a maintenance problem.

At a landfill that has already experienced a catastrophic collapse, officials argue that safety systems must be demonstrably adequate before operations fully resume.

The leachate problem is another concern

One of the issues repeatedly raised around Binaliw is leachate—the contaminated liquid produced when water passes through decomposing waste.

Proper collection and treatment of leachate is essential because uncontrolled contaminated liquid can pose environmental risks, particularly to soil and water resources.

PWS has said wastewater drainage at the site connects to holding tanks, while city officials are seeking more detailed technical documentation regarding how contaminated liquid is collected and treated.

The dispute therefore isn't simply about whether a drainage system exists.

It is about whether the system is adequate, properly documented and capable of safely handling the landfill's operations.

Gas is another safety issue

Landfills naturally generate gases as organic waste decomposes.

That makes gas management particularly important because accumulated landfill gas can create fire or explosion hazards if not properly controlled.

City inspectors have raised questions about the landfill's gas-venting system.

PWS, however, maintains that gas vents are installed at the top of the landfill area.

Again, the issue comes down to technical verification.

Where are the vents, how many are there, how effective are they and who has independently verified the system?

Those are the kinds of questions officials want answered before they can be confident that the facility is safe.

Who will certify the slope?

Perhaps the most serious unresolved issue is the stability of the landfill itself.

The January collapse demonstrated the consequences of a failure involving a massive accumulation of waste.

Cebu City officials have therefore been looking for independent technical assurance regarding the landfill's slope and structural stability.

SunStar reported that the Office of the Building Official and disaster risk reduction officials could not guarantee the slope's stability during the September 8 discussions.

That does not necessarily mean the landfill has been officially declared unsafe.

It means that city officials say they do not yet have enough assurance to make that determination themselves.

Cebu faces a difficult waste-management choice

The controversy also exposes a larger problem.

Cebu City needs somewhere to put its garbage.

Keeping Binaliw closed creates additional hauling costs and logistical challenges. But reopening the facility without sufficient confidence in its safety could expose workers, nearby communities and the environment to another potentially serious risk.

That is the dilemma facing city officials.

Close it, and waste disposal becomes more expensive and difficult.

Reopen it, and officials must be confident that the safeguards are strong enough.

Cebu has already experienced the consequences of getting landfill safety wrong.

Council wants more technical documents

Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera has expressed frustration over the absence of EMB-7 representatives during the council discussion, particularly because the environmental regulator had lifted the shutdown order.

The council is seeking additional technical information from PWS, including documentation on gas vents and the collection and treatment of contaminated liquid.

The objective is not simply to determine whether Binaliw has an environmental clearance.

It is to establish whether the facility can operate safely under real-world conditions.

That distinction matters.

The bigger question: clearance versus confidence

The Binaliw controversy now comes down to two different standards.

One is regulatory clearance: whether the facility has complied sufficiently with requirements for the environmental regulator to allow operations.

The other is public and technical confidence: whether city officials, engineers and affected communities believe the facility can safely handle waste after the deadly January collapse.

Those two standards do not always move at the same speed.

Binaliw may have received the green light from environmental regulators, but the latest council discussion shows that some Cebu City officials still want answers before they are prepared to declare the facility safe.

Eight months after the tragedy, the questions remain

The Binaliw landfill is no longer simply a waste-disposal facility.

It has become a symbol of the difficult choices facing Cebu as the city tries to manage its growing waste problem while preventing another disaster.

The January collapse left 36 people dead.

Now, as reopening moves forward, officials are demanding proof that the lessons of that tragedy have been translated into stronger safeguards.

The most important question is therefore not simply:

“Can Binaliw reopen?”

It is:

“Can Cebu prove that Binaliw is safe enough to reopen?”

Until the remaining engineering, environmental and emergency-safety questions are independently addressed, that distinction will likely remain at the center of Cebu's landfill debate.

WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.D