Binaliw landfill operator told to take active role in dealing with victims

Local

AS THE death toll from the Binaliw landfill collapse climbed to 18, Cebu City disaster officials said it is time for the private landfill operator to step out of the background and directly face the families still waiting for answers.

Councilor Dave Tumulak, head of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CCDRRMC), said Prime Integrated Waste Solutions (PIWS) must take a more active role in communicating with victims’ families, particularly now that more than 72 hours have passed since the deadly trash slide.

Questions, he said, have grown louder, not only from relatives of the missing but also from public officials, over the lack of clear and consistent information on the real situation at the site.

“That responsibility belongs to Prime Waste,” Tumulak said in an interview. “This is a private entity.”

While the city government continues to concentrate on search and rescue operations, Tumulak said PIWS should already have a designated spokesperson who can provide regular, transparent updates and respond to the families’ most painful question: whether there is still hope of finding survivors.

“We already urged the management to assign someone who can speak for them and answer queries, especially for the families involved,” he said. “Until now, I have not seen anyone clearly accountable.”

Tumulak stressed that the city’s support to operations at the landfill should not be mistaken as protecting the operator from scrutiny.

“The city is helping for the sake of the victims and their families,” he said. “Prime Waste should be the one stepping up with solutions.”

On the issue of liability, Tumulak said it remains too early to determine whether the collapse was caused by human negligence or natural factors.

He noted that the matter will be referred to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Environmental Management Bureau for investigation (DENR-EMB).

“As the LGU, our focus is rescue,” he said. “Legal accountability will be handled by the proper agencies.”

Earlier, authorities confirmed the recovery of another body from the Binaliw landfill site, raising the death toll to 18. Body No. 018 was recovered at 11:40 a.m. from Sector B, the back portion of the landfill, and is believed to be male, pending formal identification.

A total of 18 people have been confirmed dead, 18 were injured, and 18 others remain missing. Search and retrieval operations continue amid unstable ground conditions.

Cebu City has declared a state of calamity following the incident, allowing the local government to release emergency funds, fast-track procurement, and address both the humanitarian crisis and waste management challenges triggered by the collapse.

The city has allocated P30 million for waste disposal. Temporarily, it secured a 30-day deal with Consolacion to dump garbage daily in Barangay Polog.

The DENR has ordered the temporary closure of the Binaliw landfill and is conducting an investigation into the cause of the disaster.(TGP)