Groups Mourn Tragic Cebu Garbageslide, Urge Sustained Rescue Efforts and Accountability

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

(CiRCA, PEJC, EcoWaste Coalition stand in solidarity with waste workers, seek justice for the victims)

12 January 2026, Cebu City. The EcoWaste Coalition extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by the tragic garbageslide on January 8 at the materials recovery facility of Binaliw landfill in Cebu City. The incident, which has now claimed six workers’ lives, left at least 12 injured, and dozens still missing as rescue operations continue, underscores once again the lethal consequences of unsafe waste disposal practices and the persistent neglect of communities living and working near dumpsites.

The collapse of massive piles of garbage struck areas where workers were stationed, gravely endangering landfill personnel—many of whom belong to the informal waste sector, whose labor in recovering recyclable materials is indispensable yet remains largely invisible, undervalued, and unprotected.

“This tragedy did not happen overnight. For a long time, workers had been reporting the dangerous buildup and instability of waste at the landfill. Still, these warnings were not acted upon,” said Anecita “Aning” Abadijas, President of the Cebu Inayawan Resource Collectors Association (CiRCA). “It is deeply painful to see fellow workers losing their lives because known safety risks were left unaddressed. We call on the landfill operator to prioritize the welfare of workers, nearby communities, and the environment over profit, and we urge government agencies to exercise stricter, fair, and consistent monitoring and enforcement so that accountability is ensured and similar tragedies are prevented.”

The Philippine Earth Justice Center (PEJC), which has been accompanying the affected communities and waste workers in Cebu, also joined the call for accountability. “What happened in Barangay Binaliw is a painful reminder that when environmental laws are ignored or weakly enforced, it is the poor and marginalized who suffer the most,” said Atty. John Menguito, Managing Trustee of PEJC. “There must be a thorough investigation, immediate support for affected families, and decisive action to prevent this from happening again.”

EcoWaste Coalition stressed that honoring the victims requires more than condolences. It begins with prioritizing rescue and retrieval operations, ensuring the safety and welfare of responders and workers, and providing urgent assistance to affected families, while demanding decisive action to prevent similar disasters from happening again.

The group called on local government units and concerned national agencies to take urgent, concrete, and life-saving measures, emphasizing that inaction would only perpetuate a cycle of loss and neglect. Specifically, EcoWaste Coalition urged authorities to:

Ensure immediate and adequate relief, including medical assistance, compensation, livelihood support, and sustained psychosocial services for affected families and workers;

Conduct a transparent, independent, and accountable investigation into the landfill’s operations, structural conditions, and safety protocols, with findings made public;

Shut down unsafe dumps and facilities without delay and fully enforce Republic Act No. 9003 through waste reduction, segregation at source, recycling, and composting—not through practices that endanger lives; and

Meaningfully engage affected communities, particularly informal waste workers, in planning, decision-making, and the development of just transition programs toward safe, dignified, and sustainable livelihoods.

EcoWaste Coalition stressed that the Binaliw landfill incident recalls some of the country’s darkest waste-related tragedies—from the Payatas dumpsite collapse of July 10, 2000, when days of heavy rains triggered a deadly garbage landslide that buried entire communities, to the long-standing crisis at Smokey Mountain in Tondo, where generations of informal waste workers lived and labored amid dangerous piles of waste. These tragedies shocked the nation and helped give rise to Republic Act No. 9003, also known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, to ensure that no community would ever again be placed in harm’s way due to garbage.

“More than two decades later, we are still seeing the same failures repeated,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition. “People are still dying because of waste mountains that should have been dismantled long ago.”

At the same time, the group cautioned against using the tragedy to promote false solutions. “The Binaliw landfill tragedy must not be used as an excuse to justify costly, polluting, and unsustainable waste-to-energy incineration technologies.” To avoid a repeat of such a deadly incident in Cebu and elsewhere, the group urged strict enforcement and compliance with RA 9003 and related environmental laws and regulations. “With strong political will and genuine concern for the people and Mother Earth, Cebu, and the entire country can go Zero Waste.”

“As we mourn the lives lost and pray for those still recovering and missing, let this tragedy be a turning point,” the EcoWaste Coalition concluded. “Justice for the victims means ending deadly dumps, protecting workers and communities, and finally implementing ecological waste management in both letter and spirit."

The Digital Frontier: The Quest for the Philippines’ First National AI Team

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

The dawn of 2026 marks a historic turning point for the Philippines as the nation officially enters the global arena of artificial intelligence. In an unprecedented "whole-of-nation" effort, the search has begun for the first-ever National AI Team to represent the pearl of the orient on the world stage.

This isn't just a competition; it is a mission to prove that Filipino youth are ready to lead the global frontier. From the bustling streets of Manila to the furthest reaches of all 17 regions, the call is out for keen young minds to step forward and shape the future.

The Gateway to Abu Dhabi

The stakes could not be higher. The selected four-member delegation will carry the Philippine flag to the Global Finals of the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), held at the prestigious Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from August 2 to 8, 2026.

There, they will face off against hundreds of the world’s brightest students from over 60 countries, tackling the development and responsible use of AI.

A Masterclass in Innovation: Ateneo BUILD

Leading this charge is Ateneo BUILD (Business Insights Laboratory for Development), a powerhouse of research and innovation under the Ateneo de Manila University. As the sole accredited Country Coordinator, Ateneo BUILD is not just organizing a contest; they are acting as an incubator for the next generation of tech leaders.

While Ateneo leads the implementation, the organizers emphasize that this is a national initiative. The doors are wide open to every high school student (Grades 7-12) across the archipelago—whether from public, private, or science high schools. The selection is strictly merit-based, ensuring that digital equity and talent, not financial background or institution, determine who wears the national colors.

The Gauntlet: A Roadmap to Excellence

The journey to the world stage is a rigorous climb designed to transform problem-solvers into technical masters:

The Spark (Stage 1): The National Eliminations focus on logic and scientific inquiry, making it accessible even to those without initial coding experience.

The Ascent: The competition grows increasingly technical through the Semi-Finals and National Finals.

The Forge: Finalists will tackle a grueling syllabus featuring Machine Learning, AI Ethics, and Computer Vision.

The Transformation: To bridge the gap to the global level, selected students will undergo an intensive Selection Bootcamp and a dedicated training period from April to June.

Key Dates

January 25, 2026

Registration Deadline 

Jan 31 – Feb 8

National Eliminations 

Feb 14 – 15

Semi-Finals 

Feb 22 – 23

National Finals 

Mar 7 – 8

Team Selection Bootcamp 

Aug 2 – 8, 2026

Global Finals in Abu Dhabi 

A Call to Arms for the Future

This initiative aligns with the highest national strategies, including the Department of Education’s MATATAG Agenda and the AI strategies of the DOST and DICT. It is a collective effort to equip students with the ethical grounding to use technology responsibly while building the world of tomorrow.

The search is on. The future is waiting. Are you ready to lead the Philippines into the future? 

Students can register at www.ioaiph.org until January 25, 2026. For those wishing to support this national mission, partnership opportunities are available to ensure no talented student is left behind due to travel or registration costs.

Uninhibited Littering in Luneta and Quiapo as Millions of Devotees Take Part in Traslacion 2026

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

(Zero waste advocacy group reiterates "kalakip ng debosyon ang malinis na Traslacion)

10 January 2026, Quezon City.  Traditional littering has again defiled public spaces in the City of Manila, particularly in Luneta and Quiapo, as huge crowds gathered yesterday to venerate the Black Nazarene during this year’s Traslacion.

Widespread littering marred the mammoth procession re-enacting the transfer of the revered image of Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno from Luneta to Quiapo, generating familiar sights of garbage in every nook and corner, just like in previous celebrations, the EcoWaste Coalition observed. 

“Our repeated pleas for a waste-free conduct of Traslacion have gone unheeded,” said Ochie Tolentino, Zero Waste Campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition. "Such a blatant disregard for our environment is unacceptable, especially given our current reality of climate emergency, pervasive pollution, and biodiversity loss, or what is termed as the triple planetary crisis."

“However, we also witnessed some commendable acts that have helped in preventing and reducing the fiesta trash and pollution,” she said. 

“We remain optimistic that the situation will change in future Traslacions as the devotees learn to put this year’s theme ‘He must increase, and I must decrease’ (John 3:30) into practice,” she declared.

From an environmental point of view, “He must increase,” the EcoWaste Coalition said, can mean humans decrease their sense of entitlement and dominion over Mother Earth and increase collective respect for God’s creation.

On the other hand, “I must decrease” can be interpreted as decreasing the throw-away culture and lack of concern for the environment by making conscious choices to lessen one’s demand on nature, and living a purpose-driven existence that upholds the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment for the benefit and sustenance of all generations, the group said.    

At the Quirino Grandstand and the open area where the faithful gathered for the “Pahalik,” "Misa Mayor" and other liturgical activities, the EcoWaste Coalition’s Basura Patrollers found assorted garbage scattered for cleaning personnel from the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC), Manila Department of Public Services (DPS), and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to deal with.

Carelessly left for the assigned cleaners to pick up were boxes, cardboards, foils, plastic tarpaulins, and newspapers used for seating or sleeping; food and beverage packaging such as 3-in-1 coffee sachets, cup noodles, paper and plastic cups and tubs; food wastes, cigarette butts and vapes, lost slippers, and plastic bags containing mixed rubbish. 

A specific problem for the cleaners, as well as for the waste pickers, was the use by some men of empty PET bottles for urination, many of which were found abandoned next to overflowing waste bins and in garbage piles.

At Quiapo, the Basura Patrollers also found the processional route and adjacent streets strewn with litter, particularly single-use plastic water bottles, paper, and plastic food packaging waste, bamboo skewers, and food leftovers, including those given in “pa-karidad,” an act of sharing free meals and drinks, especially to the “mamamasan” and other devotees.

In many instances, the Basura Patrollers saw garbage piling up in street corners and gutters where the “mamamasan” rest and wait for their "pagsalang" to touch or pull the ropes of the “andas” (carriage).

Considered littering hotspots were the open field in front of the Quirino Grandstand; Roxas Boulevard from T. M. Kalaw St. to Katigbak Drive; T. M. Kalaw St.; Carlos Palanca St. from Plaza Lacson to Quinta Market; both sides of Quezon Boulevard from Quezon Bridge to Recto Avenue; Carriedo St.; R. Hidalgo St. from Lacson Underpass to Plaza del Carmen; Concepcion Aguila, Arlegui, Z.P. de Guzman, Bilibid Viejo, Casal and adjacent streets.  

On the positive side, the EcoWaste Coalition gave a thumbs-up to several acts that prevented and reduced pollution during the Traslacion 2026, such as the following:

--- repainting of the arches and gutters in Plaza Miranda by the Manila Department of Engineering using certified lead-safe paints;

--- non-use of wasteful plastic banderitas at the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, and the minimal use of such plastic buntings by local communities;

---  very few “happy fiesta” plastic tarpaulins by national and local politicians;

---  use of eco-friendly coconut cloth banners by the LGU in place of plastic tarpaulins laden with toxic cadmium;

--- provision of water dispensers in some barangays;

--- collection of discarded PET bottles by waste pickers to be sold to junk shops;

--- LGU imposition of a ban on the sale and use of firecrackers;

--- sale of cheap Mindanao-style packed rice dishes wrapped in banana leaf, which reduces the use of non-compostable and non-recyclable polystyrene food containers and disposable cutlery, and the

--- immediate street sweeping and flushing of the processional route by government waste and sanitation workers to remove litter and other pollutants.

The EcoWaste Coalition thanked all formal and informal waste workers who spent long hours picking up the mixed litter left by the devotees and vendors, stressing that everyone should follow the "no trace" and "clean as you go" principles, and take their "basura" with them for proper segregation, reuse, recycling, or disposal. 

In closing, the EcoWaste Coalition emphasized the importance of its clarion call for waste prevention and reduction, reiterating "kalakip ng debosyon ang malinis na Traslacion." 

The only time there was zero littering was in 2021, 2022, and 2023 when the Traslacion had to be canceled due to health and safety concerns brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the group noted