Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Members of the search and rescue team look for people after a landslide at the landfill in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City on January 11, 2026. Hard hat-wearing rescue workers and backhoes dug through rubble in search of survivors in the shadow of a mountain of garbage that buried dozens of landfill employees in the central Philippines. Cheryl Baldicantos, AFP

Article (news)

Annie Perez

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17682716189571768179144410AFP__20260111__92BJ9WF__v1__MidRes__PhilippinesLandslideAccident_cropped_processed_by_imagy.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Members of the search and rescue team look for people after a landslide at the landfill in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City on January 11, 2026. <em>Cheryl Baldicantos, AFP</em><br/></span></span></span></div><p>CEBU CITY (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — The death toll from the collapse of a massive mountain of trash at the Binaliw Landfill in Cebu City rose to 13 on Tuesday afternoon following the discovery of two more bodies, local authorities said.  </p><p>The Cebu City Fire Station said a 47-year-old female fatality was pulled from the garbage at around 1 p.m. </p><p>A 33-year old male was recovered moments after.</p><p>Rescue operations continued for 23 others who remained missing, Cebu City Fire Station spokesperson SFO3 Wendell Villanueva said.  </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>STATE OF CALAMITY</strong></div><p>Meanwhile, the Cebu City council has approved a resolution to place the Binaliw Landfill under a state of calamity.</p><p>“It resulted in the loss of lives, injuries, missing persons, and serious threats to public safety, public health, and the environment,” Councilor Joel Garganera, Chairman of the Committee on Environment, said of the disaster. </p><p>The resolution also called for P30 million to be released under the quick response fund for the garbage disposal services of the city.</p><p>The city has yet to find a new garbage disposal site following the closure of the Binaliw Landfill, a privately operated facility that handles refuse for the city of nearly one million.</p><p>Aside from Cebu City, Mandaue City also sends its garbage to the facility.</p><p>About 50 sanitation workers were buried on Thursday when the mountain of garbage toppled onto them from an estimated height of 20 storeys at the Binaliw Landfill.  </p><p>Last weekend, a rescue official said emergency workers had faced the danger of further collapse by the still-shifting mountain of refuse, forcing pauses in their efforts.</p><p>In an interview with local media, Cebu Mayor Nestor Archival pointed to a recent earthquake and typhoon-driven rains as potential precipitating circumstances.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>DENR WANTS LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS  </strong></div><p>Following the closure of the Binaliw Landfill, Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla directed the Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas to develop long-term, resilient solutions for Cebu’s solid waste management system.  </p><p>The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said it would monitor and facilitate the identification and operation of alternative disposal sites for Cebu City and neighboring local government units to ensure uninterrupted waste collection.</p><p>“Solid waste management is a combination of environmental, engineering and governance challenge that demands comprehensive, long-term, and equitable solutions,” Lotilla said in a statement.</p><p>The DENR-Central Visayas will submit a resource and timeline proposal within the next 72 hours, covering the scope of engineering, environmental, and geotechnical assessments to be undertaken.  </p><p>A technical conference and compliance plan will also be done within 90 days.</p><div><strong>— With a report from Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS: </strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/odI1e-swc8Q?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9M96X82qpd8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The death toll from the collapse of a massive mountain of trash at the Binaliw Landfill in Cebu City rose to 13 on Tuesday afternoon following the discovery of two more bodies, local authorities said.</p>

The death toll from the collapse of a massive mountain of trash at the Binaliw Landfill in Cebu City rose to 13 on Tuesday afternoon following the discovery of two more bodies, local authorities said.

Binaliw landfill collapse death toll hits 13; area declared under state of calamity

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Binaliw landfill collapse death toll hits 13; area declared under state of calamity

Annie Perez,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 13, 2026 10:35 AM PHT

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Updated Jan 13, 2026 06:30 PM PHT

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