Cebu City under calamity state after landfill avalanche
CEBU CITY—Cebu City has been placed under a state of calamity following the deadly collapse at the Binaliw landfill, which left multiple people dead, injured, and missing, while disrupting the city’s waste disposal services.
As of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the death toll had risen to 13 after rescue teams recovered five more bodies since Monday afternoon, authorities said.
Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak, who chairs the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CDRRM) Council, reported that two bodies were retrieved on Monday and another on Tuesday morning.
According to Tumulak, the first victim, a 48-year-old woman, was recovered around 4 p.m. on Monday, followed an hour later by a 57-year-old woman.
He said the 11th victim, a 50-year-old woman, was recovered Tuesday morning, while the latest recoveries included a 47-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man.
“All of them have been identified by their families. Our search and retrieval operations are continuing,” Tumulak told the Inquirer.
‘Low-intensity’
Tumulak, together with Councilor Joel Garganera, who chairs the committee on environment, pushed for the resolution declaring the state of calamity, which the city council approved on Monday.
The declaration allows the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund to be used in support of ongoing search and retrieval operations.
Mayor Nestor Archival Jr. said search-and-rescue efforts at Binaliw remain at a “low-intensity” level after equipment from Davao Mining, which is assisting in the operations, detected possible signs of life.
According to the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7), 25 people remain missing and 18 were injured in the landfill collapse that occurred on Jan 8.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government said responders are maintaining a sustained presence and conducting systematic operations to locate the missing.
Halt order
Asked about inspecting other landfills managed by local governments, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla told dzRH on Tuesday: “We will do that. It’s part of our agenda.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) issued a cease-and-desist order against the private landfill, temporarily closing the facility.
Compliance plan
Following a Jan. 9 inspection, the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of DENR-7 issued the order against Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc., citing violations of EMB Memorandum Circular No. 2007-002. Landfill operations were halted, except for activities related to rescue, retrieval, and cleanup.
The company has been instructed to attend a technical conference to clarify facts about the incident and submit a compliance plan within 90 days. DENR-7 said close coordination with local government units under Republic Act No. 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act) and the Local Government Code, including monitoring waste collection and disposal, facility oversight, and submission of a 10-year solid waste management plan. —WITH REPORTS FROM JASON SIGALES AND LEO UDTOHAN
