Solemn Walk Honors Binaliw Landfill Victims, Calls for Zero Waste Sinulog

15 January 2026, Cebu City. Environmental, youth, and community groups gathered for a solemn walk and candle-lighting activity to honor the victims of the deadly landslide at the Barangay Binaliw landfill and to call for justice, accountability, and a Zero Waste Sinulog.

The activity, organized by EcoWaste Coalition and its members, Cebu Inayawan Resource Collectors Association (CiRCA), Philippine Earth Justice Center (PEJC), Sanlakas, Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM), Eco-aktibong Kabataan para sa Kalikasan (EKKK), Gagmay nga Kristohanong Katilingban - Homeowners Association (GKK-HOA), and other partner organizations, began with a silent walk from CBD College - Inayawan Campus to the St. Augustine Quasi Parish. Participants carried candles as a symbol of mourning, remembrance, and collective resolve to prevent similar tragedies.

Along the route, the group made two brief stops for short doxology presentations reflecting on the values of Sto. Niño—care for life, justice for the poor, and responsibility for creation—underscoring the moral and spiritual dimensions of the Binaliw tragedy.

A holy Mass followed the solemn walk, offering prayers for the souls of the victims, their grieving families, and communities affected by unsafe waste management practices. After the Mass, youth participants presented a short Sinulog-inspired performance, expressing solidarity with the Binaliw victims and highlighting the urgent need to protect both people and the environment.

In a short program after the Mass, Victor Sumampong of PLM called on the local government to take responsibility for the Binaliw landfill tragedy and to address long-standing failures in waste management.

“What happened in Binaliw shows the real cost of relying on landfills. As long as we continue to treat waste as something to be buried, communities and workers will remain at risk. The local government must urgently shift to safe, ecological, and people-centered waste management solutions,” he said.

Moreover, Angelique Legaspi, PHINLA-Cebu Project Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition emphasized the call for a zero waste Sinulog, linking the celebration to the broader demand for environmental justice and the protection of life. “Honoring Sto. Niño means protecting life and caring for our common home. A zero waste Sinulog is both possible and necessary—one that prioritizes waste reduction, bans single-use plastics, and promotes reuse, recycling, and composting,” she said.

The groups reiterated their solidarity with the victims of the Binaliw landfill landslide, and renewed their call for justice, long-term solutions to the country’s waste crisis, and a shift toward zero waste systems that prioritize people, health, and the environment.