Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has joined calls for a congressional inquiry into the landfill landslide in Binaliw, Cebu which took the lives of more than 30 people and injured many others.

THE dumpsite that collapsed and killed more than 30 people in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City. (Photo from Mayor Nestor Archival)

The senator said the proposed inquiry should help determine the contributing factors that led to the landfill collapse, assess the compliance with environmental engineering and safety standards, evaluate the actions of national and local government agencies.

With this, he said, it is important for lawmakers to come up with legislative and policy measures to strengthen landfill safety standards.

Gatchalian noted that the Binaliw landfill tragedy is not an isolated case, noting previous incidents such as the 2000 Payatas dumpsite collapse that buried more than 200 people, underscoring the persistent dangers of poorly managed waste disposal facilities.

“Kung hindi natin maitutuwid ang mga panuntunan, malaki ang posibilidad na may ganito pa ring trahedya sa iba pang mga landfill na maglalagay sa panganib sa mga komunidad at mismong mga manggagawa (If we cannot correct the rules, there is a high possibility that similar tragedies will occur in other landfills, putting communities and workers at risk),” said Gatchalian.

Earlier, Senators Imee Marcos and Erwin Tulfo also pressed for a Senate inquiry into the Binaliw landfill tragedy.

Marcos has filed Senate Resolution No. 244 also seeking the compliance of sanitary landfills with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

“This should have never happened. We have seen similar tragedies before, yet the same dangers persist,” Marcos had said.

She emphasized that the inquiry aims to establish accountability, assess the effectiveness of existing waste management policies, and push for stronger safeguards to protect workers and surrounding communities.

“The lives lost in Cebu demand clear answers and real reforms,” Marcos said.