CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — A taxpayer filed before the Office of the Ombudsman for the Visayas a complaint against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region 7 (DENR-7) officials, accusing them of gross negligence and corruption for allowing the “illegal operation” of the Binaliw Landfill, which resulted in the fatal trash slide on January 8.
A copy of the complaint signed by Crisologo M. Saavedra Jr., a self-confessed anti-corruption crusader, obtained by The Freeman showed that, while it repeatedly referred to “DENR-7 officials,” it did not mention any specific names of officials in the charge sheet.
The petition charges DENR-7 with violating Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act), which punishes officials who cause harm or give unfair benefits through bad faith or negligence.
It argues that the Binaliw tragedy was not an accident but a “man-made, preventable” disaster.
“The man-made and preventable accident with 36 people who died a horrible and painful death, buried under the garbage and suffocated, should not have happened if the Binaliw Garbage Landfill was operated as a sanitary landfill as required by law,” Saavedra wrote.
Saavedra traces back the landfill’s history to November 8, 2017, when ECC-R07-0010 was issued to ARN Central Materials Recovery Facility for a sanitary landfill in Sitio Kainsikan, Barangay Binaliw.
Instead, ARN Central allegedly ran it as an open pit dumpsite, taking in 1,000 to 2,000 tons of garbage daily.
Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. later took over operations, continuing the same practice for three years accordingly.
By 2026, untreated garbage had piled up, forming unstable mountains without drainage systems, leachate collection, or protective liners.
Saavedra stressed that the collapse was not caused by an earthquake or typhoon but by deliberate disregard of environmental law. His complaint frames the deaths as “intentional homicide.”
Supporting documents cite international standards defining this as “the unlawful death purposefully inflicted on a person by another person.”
Saavedra argues that DENR-7’s tolerance of unsafe operations was a conscious act, not an accident, and therefore meets the threshold for liability.
Beyond the deaths, Saavedra also warned of long-term risks. Toxic leachate has already contaminated Cebu’s water sources, threatening rivers and exposing residents to cancer and other illnesses.
Methane gas from untreated garbage poses risks of fire and explosion. He also warned that “the ten million tons of garbage will poison the water source of Cebu and kill the rivers, exposing victims to cancer and other serious illnesses forever.”
Saavedra also sent reports to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival, and all city councilors.
A supplemental confidential report dated March 1, 2026 urged presidential intervention to deliver justice to victims and solve Cebu’s garbage crisis.
Saavedra warned: “Evil will prevail when good men do nothing.
| Written by Caecent No-ot Magsumbol
