A WASTE workers group has called for an independent investigation and accountability, saying the deadly garbage slide at the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City was a “foreseeable” tragedy caused by long-standing failures in solid waste management and unsafe landfill operations.
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The Philippine National Waste Workers Alliance (PNWWA), in a statement dated January 15, 2026, said the incident was neither an accident nor a natural disaster but the result of chronic neglect, citing over-capacity landfills, unstable waste piles, and the lack of adequate safety measures for waste workers.
The group said waste workers had long warned of hazardous conditions at landfill sites, including the risk of collapses, but these concerns were repeatedly ignored.
PNWWA called for a full, transparent, and independent probe into the landfill slide, as well as the identification of any negligence or regulatory failures.
It also demanded immediate and adequate assistance for affected families, including compensation, medical care, psychosocial support, and livelihood aid.
The alliance reiterated its call for the strict enforcement of Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, saying the failure to fully implement waste reduction, segregation, recycling, and composting has led to dangerous levels of waste accumulation in landfills.
“Reliance on dumping is not a solution—it is a recipe for recurring disaster,” PNWWA said, urging a shift toward safe and inclusive zero-waste systems.
The group also renewed its call for the immediate passage of the proposed Magna Carta for Waste Workers, which it said is needed to establish enforceable standards for occupational safety, fair compensation, and social protection.
PNWWA stressed that waste workers, both formal and informal, should be recognized as essential workers whose safety, dignity, and rights must be protected, adding that the Cebu landfill tragedy should serve as a turning point for reforms in waste management and worker protection. (JJL with PR)