Rodriguez eyes raps vs landfill operator

Officials of Rodriguez, Rizal, are studying possible sanctions against the operator of a landfill as retrieval operations continued for four men buried under tons of garbage last Friday.

Girly Singson, municipal information officer, said “a thorough investigation” of the April 19 trash slide in Rizal Provincial Sanitary Landfill in Barangay (village) Isidro, which saw backhoe operator Gary Balahibo and maintenance personnel Pablito Esto,  Rovidico Olod, and Eddie Malano buried under mounds of garbage.

The four, employees of International Swims which manages the 19-hectare landfill, were told to clear a ditch so that water could flow to a treatment facility.

While the cause of the trash slide had yet to be determined, authorities said a heavy downpour two hours before might have triggered the avalanche.

Singson said the decision to file charges would be determined after the probe, but added it was unknown when its results would be released.

She said authorities met with the families of the victims, who are being assisted by the private firm.

The landfill was opened by the provincial government in 2007, after Rizal Governor Casimiro Ynares III ordered the closure of nearby Montalban landfill, citing safety concerns.

Both landfills became the subject of a  squabble between Ynares III and then-Rodriguez Mayor Pedro Cuerpo, who argued over who should operate them.

In Calamba City, environment officials sought an explanation from the private operator following the avalanche.

Officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Calabarzon met with representatives of International Swims to discuss the rehabilitation of the 19-hectare landfill in Barangay San Isidro.

EMB regional director Carlos Magno, in a phone interview, said the garbage pile was “not thoroughly compacted” as it should be. Kristine Felisse Mangunay and Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon