Rodriguez, Rizal community calls for action over buried bodies at landfill
By AARON ERNEST CRUZ
RODRIGUEZ, Rizal – Residents at Sitio 1B Harangan expressed dismay over the inaction of the local government unit (LGU) of Rodriguez, Rizal as they received reports on February 20, 2026 that scores of individuals were buried while working at the landfill managed by International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialist Inc (ISWIMS).
According to interviews with several residents, at least 50 individuals were allegedly missing. Their access to the ISWIM has been restricted.
One of the survivors, Arthur (not his real name) 16, told Bulatlat that there were two waves of trash landslide on Friday. The first one did not hit him and his younger sister while the second one hit them. His entire body, except his head, was buried in garbage.
“My back was burnt due to the heat from the garbage. I raised my hands so that somebody would know that I was being buried,” Arthur narrated. “There are still a lot of people left there, totally buried.”
Carl (not his real name), said his son is one of those buried at the landfill, and remains missing to this day. He shared that the legal team of ISWIM offered them money but he did not specify the amount.
“There’s no way that I’ll exchange my son’s life for just mere money. I told them they just need to find my son no matter what,” Carl said. “I don’t want a repeat of what happened in the landfill but I’m scared of fighting back.”
After the collapse, there was no immediate response from the LGU. Arthur’s father, Bert (not his real name), who also works as a scavenger, expressed frustration as more lives could have been saved if search and rescue operations had been conducted right after the tragedy was announced.
Instead of giving priority to rescuing the victims, the company resorted to intimidation. “There are attempts to bury what happened, even the foreman confiscated our phones to delete all the images in relation to what happened at the landfill. Some of the workers have kept videos of the incident,” Bert said.
Aside from the hush money, the management of ISWIM only offered them soup. Just like Carl, there are many residents who are scared to speak up due to the threat of closing the landfill, which would mean loss of income for them.
Despite his injuries, Arthur did not seek medical treatment as he worried about the expenses. He said that he just needed to rest for a few days and go back to scavenging to earn money.
Scavenging metals and other recyclable materials is the only source of livelihood for many residents. Residents pay ISWIMS fees just to let them enter the landfill. They only earn P500 – P600 ($8.60 – $10.3264) per day.
Calls for immediate probe
Kadamay, an alliance of urban poor, condemned what it describes as deafening silence of the ISWIM and LGU.
The LGU, through its Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), claimed that there are only three individuals who remain missing after the incident.
“The LGU said that only a few individuals are buried in the landfill but the residents are saying otherwise,” Kadamay Secretary General Mimi Doringo said.
Kadamay said the number of casualties could be as high as 50, based on the group’s initial monitoring.
Doringo said an independent investigation must be conducted. “I’m encouraging everyone to spread what happened here at Sitio Maharang to further amplify the residents’ calls for justice and transparency,” Doringo said. (RVO)
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