The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) has ordered Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. and other Category 4 landfill operators in Cebu to form multipartite monitoring teams (MMTs) within 30 days, following a new administrative order expanding public participation and oversight in waste management.
DENR-7 Ecological Solid Waste Management Section coordinator John Roy B. Kyamko said the requirement is mandated under DENR Administrative Order (DAO) 2026-22, published on April 13, 2026.
‘Gitagaan namo sila within 30 days, dapat maka-form na ni sila ug MOA kaning mga Category 4 sanitary landfills. This is a multi-stakeholder approach… automatic nga e-activate na ni siya maski wa ni siya na-apil sa ilang ECC (environmental compliance certificate) condition,’ Kyamko said.
The order amends Sections 16.1 and 16.3 of DAO 2017-15, requiring landfill operators to formalize a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with stakeholders.
The monitoring teams must include representatives from the local government unit (LGU), such as the Environment and Natural Resources Office, the Rural Health Unit, and the concerned barangay captain, as well as accredited non-government organizations (NGOs), members of the academe, and community leaders representing vulnerable sectors, including women, senior citizens, and indigenous peoples. Up to three representatives from government agencies and DENR officials are also required.
The MOA must establish mechanisms for monitoring compliance, validating rehabilitation plans, addressing complaints, and managing funds.
Operators are also required to set up an Environmental Monitoring Fund (EMF) to finance monitoring activities and an Environmental Guarantee Fund (EGF) to cover damages to life, health, property, and the environment arising from landfill operations.
The directive applies to all Category 4 sanitary landfills in Cebu, including the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City, which PrimeWaste partially reopened after its ECC was amended on March 31, 2026.
The amendment authorized the use of a 2,746-square-meter interim cell with a capacity of 19,470 metric tons, located about 100 to 130 meters away from the site of the Jan. 8 trash slide that killed 36 workers and injured 18.
It also allowed the development of a larger engineered cell spanning 14,000 square meters with a capacity of 90,524 metric tons.
Other facilities covered by the order include the Aloguinsan landfill, which has been receiving Cebu City’s waste; the Consolacion landfill in Polog; the Toledo landfill identified as an alternative disposal site; and the planned Daanbantayan landfill, for which EMB-7 has completed a feasibility design.
Kyamko stressed that the new monitoring requirement aims to prevent another tragedy.
‘Ang dapat included ani sa pagmonitor is na gyuy ang LGU… nakabutang diri sa among DAO is municipal or city ENRO, the rural health unit, concerned barangay captain, accredited NGO, academe, and community leaders. So kani siya is that multi-stakeholder approach nga automatic nga e-activate,’ he said.
The DENR directive signals a shift toward stricter, community-based oversight of landfill operations, ensuring that compliance with ECC conditions is monitored not only by government agencies but also by local stakeholders directly affected by waste management practices