From the Sidelines
By: Ray G. Talimio Jr.
“From Controversy to Catastrophe in Cebu City’s Waste Ground Zero”
A garbage avalanche at the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City has turned an already contentious waste facility into a national emergency. Reports on January 9 to 10, 2026 said a towering mound of refuse collapsed, crushing structures on site and trapping workers, with at least one confirmed fatality and dozens still missing as search operations continued. 
This tragedy did not happen in a vacuum. For years, Binaliw has been entangled in disputes that mixed public necessity with private operations, raising recurring questions about safety, environmental compliance, and accountability. The landfill was previously operated by ARN Central Waste Management Inc. (ACI), before its acquisition by Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PWS), a subsidiary of Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. (Prime Infra), the infrastructure group linked to businessman Enrique Razon Jr. 
Even after the change in corporate control, controversy persisted. Local reporting in recent years tied Binaliw operations to wider community concerns, including allegations of environmental impacts beyond the site and continuing public pressure on the Cebu City Local Government Unit (LGU) to enforce safeguards.  Prime Infra’s waste unit has also publicly pushed back against claims from former ACI shareholders, underscoring how ownership transitions can leave unresolved friction about legacy conditions and responsibility for remediation. 
The collapse now forces a harder question: whether Cebu City’s waste system has outgrown the governance tools used to manage it. Republic Act (RA) No. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, expects local systems that reduce waste at source and limit reliance on dangerous disposal practices. When landfills become mountains, the issue is no longer only sanitation. It becomes workplace safety, engineering controls, and the duty to prevent foreseeable harm.
As rescuers search for the missing, Cebu City must pursue an independent technical assessment, publish accountability lines across operator and LGU decisions, and fast-track waste diversion measures that reduce the daily pressure on a facility already strained by history.
Sources: Reuters, January 9, 2026
Associated Press, January 10, 2026
Cebu Daily News, January 24, 2023
SunStar Cebu, December 4, 2022
Prime Infra, corporate statement
The Freeman, January 9, 2026
Cebu Daily News, June 7, 2025
Photo Credits: Associated Press Photo, Jacqueline Hernandez
Cebu Daily News, Inquirer.net
Cebu City Government Facebook page via SunStar Cebu
Disclaimer:This article is for public information and commentary purposes only. Facts and figures are based on publicly available reports cited above as of January 10, 2026.
About the Author: Ray G. Talimio Jr. is a Certified Public Accountant and veteran columnist on governance, economic policy, and public accountability. He is Past President and Past Chairman of the Board of the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation Inc. He served as Co-Chairman of the Economic Development Committee of the Regional Development Council Region X and as Chairman of the MSME Development Council of Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro from 2022 to 2025. He currently serves as a National Officer of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants after having served as its Past Senior Regional Director and Past Chapter President. He served as BIMP-EAGA Chairperson from 2023 to 2025. He is a staunch advocate of MSME development, regional economic integration, good governance, and public private partnerships.
#binaliwlandfill#EcologicalSolidWasteManagement
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