The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through its Environmental Management Bureau ordered immediate stabilization measures at a sanitary landfill in Rodriguez, Rizal after a trash slide on Friday left three people missing.
In a statement issued Sunday evening, the DENR-EMB directed the landfill operator, Green Leap Solid Waste Management Inc., to level and re-slope the affected area to prevent further ground instability.
The bureau also instructed the operator to submit a detailed action plan and daily status reports on retrieval and rehabilitation efforts, carry out waste compaction with regular soil covering, regulate the movement of heavy equipment, and restrict access to areas deemed high risk.
The DENR said it had deployed a team to the site to conduct an on-site investigation to determine the extent of the erosion and to verify reports of missing individuals.
Rodriguez Mayor Ronnie Evangelista said three persons were reported missing as of Sunday evening, adding that local offices were coordinating closely with the landfill operator to monitor developments and locate those unaccounted for.
Evangelista also called on the DENR to conduct a full investigation, saying the incident had broader public safety implications beyond the municipality.
Rizal Governor Nina Ynares, in a letter dated Feb. 20 to Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla, clarified that the landfill was privately owned and not operated by the provincial government, and requested an immediate probe into the incident.
The Environmental Management Bureau said it would convene a technical conference with the landfill operator and issue notices of violation if the investigation found noncompliance with environmental compliance certificate conditions.