GATCHALIAN PUSHES INQUIRY ON CEBU LANDFILL COLLAPSE

SENATOR Win Gatchalian has filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the landfill landslide in Binaliw, Cebu, an incident that took the lives of more than 30 people and injured many others.

Under Proposed Senate Resolution 277, Gatchalian said the circumstances surrounding the January 8 landfill landslide raise many serious questions, including landfill design standards, operational practices, compliance with existing regulations, and adequacy of government oversight mechanisms intended to ensure public safety.

“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,” said Gatchalian.

The proposed inquiry should be able to 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, and come up with legislative and policy measures to strengthen landfill safety standards.

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