Binaliw permit revocation eyed as Cebu waste row deepens anew

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Council minority floor leader Sisinio Andales on Tuesday urged the city government to examine possible legal grounds to suspend or revoke the business permit of the private operator of the Binaliw landfill over why the facility continues accepting waste from private haulers while refusing Cebu City’s garbage.

In a privilege speech delivered during the City Council’s regular session, Andales called the situation “unreasonable” and “unfair,” arguing that Cebu City issued the landfill’s business permit yet remains barred from using the facility despite the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) allowing its partial reopening.

This came a day after Mayor Nestor Archival blamed opposition from a handful of councilors for delaying Cebu City’s return to the Binaliw landfill, saying the operator opted to wait for a full lifting of the DENR’s cease-and-desist order instead of accepting the city’s waste under the existing partial clearance.

Questions over selective access to Binaliw landfill

Andales anchored his appeal on what he described as the landfill operator’s “selective acceptance” of garbage.

“The City Government of Cebu, through Mayor Nestor Archival, was locked out from dumping the city’s trash while private haulers are accommodated,” he said.

He noted that the arrangement forces Cebu City to transport its garbage about 60 kilometers to Aloguinsan at a hauling cost of P3,906 per ton.

Archival questioned why a facility operating within Cebu City’s jurisdiction and holding a city-issued business permit could continue serving private clients while declining to receive waste from the local government.

“Is this not an insult to injury? Nga sila nagnegosyo suot sa atong sesyon […] pero gidid-an ta paglabay sa atong mga hugaw o basura diha sa maong landfill maski gibayad ta sa maong kantidad,” he said.

(Is this not an insult to injury? They continue operating a business through a permit issued by this city […] yet they prohibit us from disposing of our own garbage there despite the city paying for the service.)

Andales argued that the arrangement harms public interest and lacks operational transparency.

Calls for legal review on Binaliw permit

The councilor urged Archival to direct the City Legal Office and other concerned offices to determine whether the landfill operator violated local ordinances or conditions attached to its business permit.

He specifically cited possible grounds including compliance with local ordinances, environmental regulations, health and safety standards, and zoning requirements.

While acknowledging that Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. may invoke its discretion as the facility’s operator, Andales argued that Cebu City should assert its authority under the Local Government Code’s public welfare provisions.

“The taxpayer should not be deprioritized and financially paralyzed,” he said.

He also asked fellow councilors to investigate the contract between Cebu City and the landfill operator and determine whether violations exist that could justify revoking the company’s permit.

Four proposed actions

Andales moved for the approval of four actions through an omnibus motion:

• Request the City Legal Office to study legal remedies, including possible breach of contract claims or a petition for mandamus, to allow Cebu City’s garbage back into Binaliw.
• Ask the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) to determine whether legal grounds exist to suspend or revoke the landfill operator’s business permit.

Background of the dispute

The controversy traces back to the Jan. 8, 2026, landfill collapse at the Binaliw facility that killed at least 36 people, prompting the DENR to issue a cease-and-desist order and halt operations.

The DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas later partially lifted the order after finding that the operator had complied with key remediation and operational requirements, allowing limited operations under strict monitoring while rehabilitation continues.

Despite that partial reopening, Cebu City has yet to resume dumping its garbage at Binaliw.

On Monday, Archival said the operator initially signaled it could begin accepting the city’s waste after receiving the DENR’s partial clearance but later decided to wait for a full lifting following concerns raised through privilege speeches and objections from several councilors.

“Paghatag gyud og go signal ni DENR sa partial lifting […] pero tungod lagi sa mga concerns o mga privilege speeches sa atong mga konsehal […] ato lang siguro-on nga makakuha ug total lifting,” he said.

(When the DENR gave the go signal through the partial lifting, they said we could already send our garbage there. But because of concerns and privilege speeches from some councilors, they decided to wait until they secure a total lifting.)

The mayor said he believes only “a few” councilors opposed the arrangement but maintained that their objections contributed to the operator’s decision to postpone accepting Cebu City’s waste.

Costly waste crisis continues

Since the Binaliw landfill stopped accepting the city’s garbage after the January disaster, Cebu City has transported most of its waste to Aloguinsan while searching for other disposal options.

Archival earlier warned that maintaining the long-haul arrangement could push the city’s annual waste disposal expenses to about P1.2 billion, well above the P517-million allocation for solid waste management.

The city also temporarily stockpiled garbage at Pond A in the South Road Properties (SRP), but the DENR later ordered Cebu City to stop using the site and clear the accumulated waste within 90 days.

READ: Cebu faces waste crisis after fatal landfill slide

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