Cebu landfill operator to comply with DENR cease and desist order after tragic landslide

The operator of the sanitary landfill in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City said Wednesday that it will comply with a cease and desist order issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). 

“PWS Cebu is committed to implementing critical site measures, including clearing the Materials Recovery Facility building to allow the safe removal of debris, rehabilitating the affected landfill cell to restore stability, and capping and closing the impacted area. The company is fully complying with the cease-and-desist order issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR),” Prime Waste Solutions (PWS) Cebu said in a statement. 

DENR Central Visayas earlier said the cease and desist order would halt landfill operations except for rescue, retrieval, and cleanup activities. 

It added that PWS Cebu has been called to a technical conference to establish facts and submit a compliance plan within 90 days. 

PWS Cebu said operations at the facility remain suspended as retrieval operations continue. 

The landslide that occurred last January 8 has so far resulted in the deaths of 18 workers in the facility. Authorities are still looking for 18 others. 

The landfill operator said that authorities and experts attribute the disaster to a combination of factors. 

“Based on the initial assessment of city officials and experts, the incident was likely triggered by a combination of seismic events and frequent rains, including the magnitude 6.9 earthquake on September 30, 2025 and subsequent aftershocks, followed by extreme rainfall from Typhoon Tino in early November,” said PWS Cebu. 

The company added it reported visible structural issues on the affected landfill cell before the incident.

“PWS Cebu conducts regular inspections of its landfill cells, and prior to the Thursday incident, the affected cell did not bear any visual signs of weakening, such as cracks and irregular leachate outflows. We are actively working with experts and authorities for a comprehensive investigation,” the landfill operator said. 

GMA News Online has reached out to DENR-Mines and Geosciences Bureau 7 to confirm the cause of the landslide at the landfill. 

Further, the landfill operator said that it “has provided financial assistance and psychosocial services to the families of affected employees, covered medical expenses for the injured, and shouldered funeral and burial costs.” — Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News