The Cebu City Council has approved the declaration of a state of calamity, following the trash slide at a private sanitary landfill facility in Barangay Binaliw.

The declaration seeks to address the disposal of garbage in the city, especially during the Sinulog festivity expected to generate tons of trash, after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued a cease-and-desist order against the company operating the landfill.

Under a state of calamity, the use of Quick Response Fund worth P30 million is also approved.

The fund will be used for garbage disposal services, following the incident in Binaliw.

In addition, January 16, 2026 is declared a Day of Mourning for the employees who perished in the trash slide.

At past 3 p.m. on January 13, the death toll reached 13.

Earlier, 18 individuals were taken to the hospital, while 23 remain missing.

Mayor Nestor Archival has ordered further intensification of search and rescue operations, citing “signs of life” at Ground Zero. 

The trash slide occurred on January 8. A structure used as an office and production facility collapsed, pinned workers under the rubble, and buried others alive.