DENR orders multi-sectoral probe on Binaliw landslide, landfill review

By Marita Moaje, Philippine News Agency

MULTI-SECTORAL PROBE. The Binaliw sanitary landfill after the tragic trash slide on Jan. 8, 2026. Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla on Monday (Jan. 26) said he ordered a multi-sectoral investigation into the incident and initiated a nationwide review of all sanitary landfills to ensure compliance, accountability, and prevent future incidents. (Photo courtesy of Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival Sr.’s Facebook)

MANILA – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has launched a multi-sectoral investigation into the deadly Binaliw sanitary landfill landslide in Cebu and ordered a nationwide review of all operating sanitary landfills in the country to prevent similar disasters.

In a news release Monday, DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the move is part of a broader five-pronged strategy to establish accountability, determine the technical causes, prevent the recurrence of the incident, and formulate a long-term, programmatic approach to addressing garbage challenges in the country.

“We are taking immediate and decisive action to ensure an impartial and scientific inquiry into the Binaliw incident,” Lotilla said.

“The public deserves transparency, and we are committed to delivering results that will ensure accountability and prevent future tragedies.”

To ensure an objective and science-based inquiry, Lotilla has formed a special multi-stakeholder investigative team composed of external solid waste management experts from non-government organizations (NGOs) and the academe.

The team will work with the DENR Legal Affairs and Enforcement team at its central office.

“We are bringing in independent eyes to look at the data,” Lotilla said.

He explained that involving experts from the academe and civil society would ensure credible findings that are also rooted in the best available science.

“We need to establish the accountabilities, and equally, if not more important, the lessons learned from this experience and how long-term measures should be framed to prevent a similar incident in the future,” Lotilla noted.

To ensure impartiality and hasten investigation, Lotilla installed new leadership in DENR Region 7 (Central Visayas), appointing Audie Salac and John Edward Ang as Regional Executive Director and Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Director, respectively.

Nationwide landfill review

Recognizing that the Binaliw incident may indicate broader systemic risks, Lotilla has also ordered an immediate nationwide inspection of all operating sanitary landfills.

Emphasizing that the safety of communities is non-negotiable, he directed all DENR regional offices nationwide to ensure strict compliance with environmental compliance certificates (ECCs) and safety protocols.

He said this directive aims to identify potential hazards early and enforce corrective measures before accidents occur.

“We are now moving to ensure that facilities across the nation adhere to the highest standards of safety and environmental protection,” Lotilla said.

Other reforms

Meanwhile, the DENR has also strengthened public monitoring and national assessment, as part of its reform package.

The DENR will also amend public participation policies under the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System to require Multi-Sectoral Monitoring Teams (MMTs) for all waste management projects, including sanitary landfills.

The MMTs will include stakeholders and technical experts to monitor compliance with ECC conditions.

The DENR will conduct a comprehensive assessment of solid waste management implementation nationwide to identify policy gaps and improve sustainability, to be undertaken by a multi-stakeholder team that the agency will form.

“A wide-ranging and far-reaching evaluation of how we implemented solid waste management is key so we can identify policy gaps and necessary support, design better systems, and improve sustainability,” Lotilla said.