Search ends at Cebu City landfill; death toll climbs to 36
CEBU CITY—The city government officially ended search and rescue operations at the Binaliw sanitary landfill on Sunday, 10 days after a massive collapse buried workers and facilities under tons of garbage, steel and machinery.
The final missing victim, whose body was recovered early on Sunday morning, had been identified as Jeffrey Catulpos, a resident of Purok 2, Barangay San Jose in this city, and an employee of Paragon Company, a subcontractor at the landfill.
“The search and rescue operation at the Binaliw landfill has been officially terminated,” said Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak, chair of the committee on disaster risk reduction and management, in a statement.
He added: “Out of the recovered bodies, six have yet to be identified.”
The recovery of the last victim coincided with the Feast of the Santo Niño, marking a solemn close to the search-and-retrieval operations.
With the completion of operations, the death toll from the Binaliw incident stood at 36, while 18 others were injured. Of those injured, four remain hospitalized and are still recuperating.
Probe continues
Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival assured the public that an investigation into the cause of the landfill collapse will proceed immediately.
“Now that all missing persons have been recovered, the investigation will begin,” he said in a separate statement.
The disaster occurred on Jan. 8 when a massive garbage mound—estimated to be as high as a 20-story building—collapsed in Barangay Binaliw, trapping workers and destroying facilities, including a materials recovery facility, maintenance areas and administrative offices.
Local officials said the collapse also disrupted garbage collection services across the city.
The landfill, operated by Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PWS), serves Cebu City, as well as Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue.
According to PWS, initial assessments by city officials and experts suggested the collapse may have been triggered by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in September 2025, its aftershocks and prolonged heavy rains brought by Typhoon “Tino” (international name: Kalmaegi) last year.
PWS has provided financial assistance and psychosocial support to affected families, covered medical expenses for the injured and shouldered funeral and burial costs for the deceased.
Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resource has issued a cease-and-desist order, suspending all landfill operations pending investigation.
During his visit to Balamban town, Cebu, last week, President Marcos assured victims’ families of continued government assistance and emphasized transparency and accountability in determining responsibility.
The Cebu City Council also declared Jan. 16 a day of mourning in honor of those who perished.
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