RODRIGUEZ, Rizal — At least three persons were reported missing after a portion of a garbage mound collapsed Friday afternoon at the Rizal Provincial Sanitary Landfill in Barangay San Isidro, authorities said.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Sunday said the three missing individuals are still subject to validation. It also denied claims circulating online that around 50 garbage collectors were buried in the incident.
Office of Civil Defense deputy spokesperson Diego Agustin Mariano, citing the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Rodriguez, clarified that the incident was described as a “pagbuka ng gabundok na basura” or an opening in a hill-sized pile of garbage, rather than a trash slide.
Urban poor group Kadamay earlier claimed that part of the landfill, operated by International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialist Inc. (ISWIMS), collapsed at around 2 p.m. Friday in Sitio 1B Harangan. The group said estimates of up to 50 possible victims were based on accounts from families awaiting updates, though it acknowledged having no official data.
Kadamay also alleged delays in rescue operations and claimed soil was dumped over the affected area hours after the collapse. ISWIMS had yet to issue a statement as of press time, while local government officials have not publicly addressed the allegations.
The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said it conducted an on-site inspection and ordered immediate stabilization measures. These include slope leveling, waste compaction, restricted access to high-risk zones, and submission of a detailed action plan and daily status reports.
A technical conference will be held to assess compliance with environmental regulations as monitoring and retrieval efforts continue.| – BNN Integrated News
