As another sanitary landfill collapses, labor NGO Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) called on the Rizal provincial government and the national government to take immediate action to inform the public of the tragedy, rescue those who were trapped, and provide assistance to those injured.

The Rizal Provincial Sanitary Landfill (RPSL), located in Barangay 1B Harangan in Rodriguez, Rizal reportedly collapsed at 2:00 in the afternoon of February 20. It is operated by the International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialist Inc. (ISWIMS), which is owned by Jerry Acuzar, who was secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Developments in 2022-2025.

“It has been three long days since the landfill collapse and information about the tragedy remains scarce. Where is the national government in all of this? It should immediately break through what appears to be a media blackout and release credible information. More importantly, it should work overtime to rescue the scavengers buried in the trash and aid those who were injured,” said Kamz Deligente, CTUHR executive director.

In a Facebook post, Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY) general secretary Mimi Doringo said that her group conducted a fact-finding mission into the landfill collapse and was able to interview some scavengers who were injured.

Some reports on Facebook state that more than 100 were injured while 50 scavengers remain missing, even as the Rodriguez municipal government claimed only three are missing. KADAMAY claims that a few families were offered money in exchange for keeping quiet, while others fear losing their jobs if they speak out.

“It is simply revolting that the national government refuses to learn lessons from the landfill tragedies in the country’s history. The main lesson is this: prevention is better than cure. Once a mountain of garbage collapses, it is terribly difficult to recover people who are buried under. The government should vigilantly monitor and uphold labor and environmental standards in these landfills,” said Deligente.

The Rodriguez municipal government has called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to investigate the tragedy. Doringo claims that the collapse is the sixth in the landfill’s recent history. This landfill collapse follows the January 8 landfill collapse in a sanitary landfill operated by Prime Integrated Waste Solutions, Inc. and located in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City which left 36 workers dead and 18 others injured.

In response to the Binaliw landfill collapse, CTUHR called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and DENR to immediately conduct an inspection of all major landfills in the country, prioritizing those in areas that have been hit hard by typhoons, and publicizing the inspection results.

https://ctuhr.org/releases/binaliw-trash-site-collapse-employer-govt-must-be-held-accountable/