Families wait in fear as 38 still missing in Cebu garbage landslide

CEBU, Philippines – Mothers and fathers screamed for their missing sons and daughters on Friday, January 9, at the Barangay Binaliw landfill in Cebu City where a landslide hit a materials recovery facility (MRF).

Initial reports stated that the incident happened at around 4 pm on Thursday, January 8, and left 38 missing and 1 dead. Twelve people have been rescued so far.

Officials said that continuous rainfall softened the soil where large quantities of waste are dumped, causing the landslide and the MRF’s collapse.

Belen Antigua, a resident of Sitio Kainsikan in Binaliw, told Rappler on Friday morning that her son managed to survive the landslide but they’re still waiting for their other relatives to be found after the incident.

“Ang nakita namo sa basura kay dili na gyud siya safe diha (What we saw with the garbage was that it really wasn’t safe there),” Antigua said.

The landfill is a primary drop point for garbage coming from Cebu City. The city began dumping its waste there in 2019 when it was still managed by ARN Central Waste Management Incorporated before Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Incorporated, a subsidiary of tycoon Enrique Razon’s Prime Infra, took over in 2023.

Antigua recalled that before the area was used as a landfill, it was used to grow mango trees and other vegetation.

The mother pointed out that other residents in Barangay Binaliw and its neighboring villages also work in waste management at the landfill.

As early as 8 am, concerned family members crowded the entrance of the landfill, waiting to hear updates on rescue operations and retrieval of their loved ones still trapped under the debris.

“Ganiha pa na silang buntag diri mga pamilya nagsige og pangita sa ilahang mga anak (The families here looking for their children have been here since this morning),” Binaliw resident Junel Arcilla told Rappler.

Arcilla confirmed that some of his neighbors are workers at the landfill. 

He added that around 4 pm on Thursday, January 8, workers at the landfill began shouting at machine operators, warning them of the impending landslide, but they could not be heard due to the sound of machinery in the area.

According to Arcilla, the landfill’s “intense and foul odor” has been a main cause of concern for residents in the area.

In September 2024, 156 residents in Barangay Binaliw signed a petition to compel the city government to act on their concerns over the foul odor and health concerns brought about by the landfill’s proximity to their homes.

As of this writing, rescue operations at the Binaliw landfill are ongoing. – Rappler.com