Cebu city: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will be providing aid under the Assistance to Individuals and Crisis Situations (AICS) program to the families and individuals affected by the fatal landfill collapse in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City, an official said Friday.

According to Philippines News Agency, the DSWD is working closely with the local government unit (LGU), ensuring that the affected families are provided with the needed intervention, especially as retrieval operations are still ongoing, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD's Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said in a statement.

The DSWD spokesperson stated that the department is currently processing the provision of AICS to the affected families. On January 8, a significant section of the landfill operated by Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. collapsed, burying sanitation workers under tons of garbage, soil, steel trusses, and office structures located near the base of the landfill.

In the days following the incident, DSWD Field Office 7 Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero, along with Disaster Response Management Division (DRMD) chief Lilibeth Cabiara, visited the site to assess the situation, monitor ongoing operations, and ensure the provision of immediate aid to the affected families.

Read-to-Eat Food (RTEF) boxes were immediately provided to the victims and to the families of those buried in the waste landslide. Temporary tents were also set up near the landfill to accommodate families seeking updates on their missing loved ones.

As of the latest report, 18 individuals remain hospitalized due to injuries, while 11 individuals are still missing, and 25 fatalities have been recorded. Search, rescue, and retrieval operations remain ongoing with support from various agencies, including the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), which has augmented ground operations and incident management coordination.