How a single landslide shot up the price of waste in Cebu’s top cities

Almost two months after the landfill in Barangay Binaliw collapsed in early January, Cebu’s highly urbanized cities (HUC), namely Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, and Cebu City, are facing heavier costs for waste management.

On January 8, 36 individuals were killed after a “trashslide” at the Binaliw landfill, operated by a subsidiary of business tycoon Enrique Razon Jr.’s Prime Infrastructure Capital Incorporated.

Following the tragedy, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR 7) issued a cease-and-desist order (CDO) against the landfill’s operator Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Incorporated (PIWSI) on January 12. 

The closure of the landfill meant two things for Cebu’s HUC’s: (1) the need for an immediate alternative disposal area, and (2) higher fees for the hauling and management of waste.

According to Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival, the capital city has a budget of around P500 million for the year 2026. 

Previously, the Commission on Audit flagged Cebu City for its expenditure of P407.77 million for waste disposal and payment of tipping fees at the Binaliw landfill in 2024, noting the local government’s lack of fully operational material recovery facilities (MRFs) and poor segregation policies across villages.

Without the Binaliw landfill, the city government has pushed the burden of handling its waste to the town of Aloguinsan — more than 60 kilometers away.

Department of Public Services chief Paul Gelasque told Cebu City officials in an executive session on February 23 that the local government is paying around P3,906 per ton for the transfer of garbage to Aloguinsan.

“With the transfer of residual waste disposal to Aloguinsan, hauling and fuel expenses may increase this to P1 billion, and possibly P1.5 [to] 2 billion depending on fuel prices,” Archival said in a public advisory on Wednesday, March 4.

For Mandaue, City Administrator Gonzalo Malig-on said in a CDN Digital article that the city has an annual solid waste management budget of around P100 million. 

Araceli Barlam, head of the Mandaue City Environment and Natural Resources Office (MCENRO), told Rappler on February 18 that after the Binaliw tragedy, the city hired Infinite Trading to haul its waste to the Asian Energy Systems Corporation landfill in Barangay Polog, Consolacion town.

On January 22, the Mandaue City Council authorized Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Jovito Ouano to enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Infinite Trading. The cost of the agreement is set at around P60 million for a three-month period, from January 15 to April 15, with the hauling fee at P3,250 per ton (excluding value-added tax).

This means that the Mandaue City government is paying some P20 million per month for waste management, more than double the estimated monthly expenditure of P8.3 million if allocated from an annual budget of P100 million.

Much like Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu City is also facing an increase in its daily expenditure for hauling and disposal of waste to the Asian Energy Systems Corporation landfill. 

Jocelyn Abayan, officer-in-charge of the Lapu-Lapu City Environment and Natural Resources Office, told Rappler that their city has an estimated budget of P200 million for solid waste management for 2026.

As of this writing, Abayan added, Lapu-Lapu City is paying a private hauler around P1,500 per ton of garbage a day to deliver the waste to the Consolacion landfill and pay for the tipping fee. 

Rappler visited the site of the landfill in Consolacion on Wednesday, March 4. According to the main office of the Asian Energy Systems Corp., the tipping fee at the landfill is P1,200 per ton of garbage — P100 more than the P1,100 tipping fee previously set at the Binaliw landfill.

How much is being hauled?

Based on regulations set by the local government of Consolacion, Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City are allowed to deliver a maximum of 150 tons per day at the Asian Energy Systems landfill.

Abayan said that Lapu-Lapu City collects between 200 to 220 tons of garbage per day. A significant portion of the garbage, the environmental officer added, is placed in the city’s main MRF. 

Meanwhile, Mandaue City is collecting around 318 tons per day, based on the city’s 2026 waste analysis characterization study. Barlam told Rappler that the city has managed to divert around 90 tons of waste per day for recycling and composting as 210 tons of waste per day remain for direct disposal.

Mandaue City has begun using the Mandaue Green Learning Park (MGLP) as a temporary waste transport station and MRF since late January.

On March 2, Archival told reporters that the city is delivering approximately 1,000 tons of waste daily to Aloguinsan, which includes backlog waste that hasn’t been delivered yet since January.. The city currently generates around 500 tons of waste daily.

Initially, the Cebu City government was supposed to send its waste to the Asian Energy Systems landfill but this plan was later scrapped due to payment issues.

As of this writing, Cebu City has established a temporary transfer station at the South Road Properties (SRP) for the delivery of waste to Aloguinsan. Locals and experts have called out the government over its use of the SRP site due to environmental risks and odor affecting nearby communities.

Addressing waste collection

To address the accumulation of waste in their respective cities, the local governments are looking into implementing a range of solutions: from using shredders to education campaigns.

In Cebu City, Archival announced on February 2 that the local government is planning to allocate P8 million to each of the 80 barangays in the city from the Local Development Fund (LDF) for the purchase of shredding machines.

Lapu-Lapu City launched its purok-based waste management system on February 13. According to Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Cindi King-Chan, the system involves the implementation of strict segregation practices from homes in the purok (the Cebuano word for neighborhood).

Each purok has its own waste-holding station and a designated “eco-warrior” who will monitor waste disposals and enforce the city’s “no segregation, no collection” policy.

For Mandaue City’s part, Barlam said the city has partnered with its barangay units for the conduct of village composting and retrieval of waste for entrepreneurship programs. The city has also been in partnership with the Department of Education in integrating solid waste management lessons in the school curriculums.

As of February 23, the Cebu City Council has urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Environment Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) in Central Visayas to expedite Prime Waste’s compliance with rehabilitation requirements at the Binaliw landfill site to address the city’s need for a closer waste disposal site.

PIWSI representatives disclosed to officials that rehabilitation works were already underway at the landfill but it could take six months to a year. The landfill operator informed the Cebu City mayor that 3 hectares of the Binaliw property could be used as a temporary site, pending the lifting of DENR’s closure order.

However, in a privilege speech during a session of the Cebu City Council on Tuesday, March 3, Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera asked if accountability for the deaths caused during the Binaliw tragedy has been established.

“The people of Cebu City deserve to know whether the operator has been fully reviewed and whether responsibility has been properly determined,” Garganera said. 

Thereafter, the city council moved to call on the National Bureau of Investigation to seek justice and accountability in the Binaliw tragedy, and request the DENR-EMB to submit a final investigation report with its findings on liability, compliance failures, and recommended corrective actions. – Rappler.com