Sen. Erwin Tulfo stated that the Environment Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources should be held accountable for the deadly landfill collapse in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City, due to an oversight failure that permitted a building's construction in a hazardous area. He expressed dismay over allowing construction near a garbage mountain and pledged a Senate investigation.
During his visit to the site on January 18, Sen. Erwin Tulfo met with victims' families and voiced incomprehension over why the EMB of the DENR permitted a building's construction at the foot of a garbage mountain. “I cannot understand why the EMB of the DENR allowed the construction of a building at the foot of a mountain of garbage,” Tulfo said while engaging with affected families.
He noted that the location had long presented a collapse risk, and the tragedy could have been prevented with proper authority action. “If they had only done what they were supposed to do, these people would likely still be alive today,” he added.
As chair of the Senate committee on social justice and rural development, Tulfo announced he would push for a Senate investigation to establish accountability and avert future incidents. “This is not only about providing aid today, but about accountability and protecting the lives of workers in the future,” he stated.
On site, he coordinated with government agencies to assist the affected. He contacted the Department of Social Welfare and Development to provide burial assistance, medical aid for the injured, and livelihood support for families who lost income after the collapse.
Bureau of Fire Protection records indicate at least 36 killed and 18 injured in the January 8 landfill collapse in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City.
