By Marita Moaje
MANILA – Rescuers have recovered one body, while two remain missing in a trash slide that occurred at a sanitary landfill in Rodriguez, Rizal on Feb. 20.
In a Monday flag ceremony, Mayor Ronnie Evangelista said the recovery operation continues for the two missing persons.
“Tatlo po yung missing, pero yung isa po sa missing ay na-retrieve na, nakuha na kahapon, nakuha na rin ng pamilya, kaya mayroon pa ang dalawa na nawawala (Three are missing, but one of the missing has been retrieved, it was recovered yesterday, and the family has already received it, so there are still two missing),” he said.
Evangelista said the recovery effort is slow and manual due to the hazardous conditions of the area.
“Well, best effort para makita yan kasi napakahirap mag-retrieve or mag-recover sa bundok ng basura. Hindi naman iyan katulad ng ordinary na landslide, basura yan, kaya hindi po pwede na basta-basta, mano-mano ang pag-retrieve. Napakahirap (to find them because it is very difficult to retrieve or recover from a mountain of garbage. It’s not like an ordinary landslide; it’s garbage, so it can’t just be retrieved manually. It’s very difficult),” he said.
The sanitary landfill is operated by Green Leap Solid Waste Management, Inc.
Evangelista said initial investigations show that the trash slide was not triggered by rain, but by bulldozers compacting waste in a specific section of the landfill.
“Kumbaga sinisiksik yung mga lupa at mga basura. Kaso nasa isang area lang yung tatlo or apat na bulldozer kaya yung weight ng mga bulldozers, ito yung nag-trigger na kaya nagkaroon ng trash slide sabi nila (Meaning the soil and garbage were being compressed. But the three or four bulldozers were in one area, so the weight of the bulldozers triggered the trash slide, they said),” he said.
Injured bulldozer operators who jumped out of the equipment during the incident are now recovering in the hospital.
Evangelista, meanwhile, denied reports claiming that at least 100 people were buried in the trash slide.
He said other sections of the sanitary landfill remain operational except for the affected phase.
The local official also clarified that only the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has the power to suspend the landfill’s operation or to order a full shutdown.
He, however, said the local government is conducting its own investigation.
The DENR on Monday instructed its Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) to conduct an immediate investigation.
The EMB on Sunday said it has ordered immediate stabilization measures, such as leveling and sloping of the eroded area to prevent further instability. (PNA)
