3 missing as landfill in Rizal town collapses
LUCENA CITY—At least three people went missing after a sanitary landfill in Rodriguez town, Rizal, collapsed last Friday, burying an unconfirmed number of individuals—mostly scavengers—under mounds of garbage, authorities and the urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) said.
Citing residents of Sitio (subvillage) IB Harangan in Barangay San Isidro, Kadamay secretary general Mimi Doringo said an estimated 50 individuals were engulfed by surging trash, which also reportedly swept away a bulldozer.
“The authorities have to act now and fast. It’s getting too late,” Doringo told the Inquirer in Filipino during a phone interview on Sunday.
The incident occurred around 2 p.m., according to residents living near the dumpsite.
In a statement issued on Sunday evening, Rodriguez Mayor Ronnie Evangelista confirmed that only three individuals went missing following the incident.
Monitoring
Evangelista said the concerned municipal offices are continuously working with International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialist, Inc., the private operator of the landfill, “in monitoring the situation to determine the whereabouts of the missing persons and adequately address the situation.”
He also called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources “to conduct an investigation on the situation, as this is a matter of national concern.”
