“If only they had only done what they were supposed to do, these people would likely still be alive today”.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo expressed this sentiment as he ensured that government assistance for the victims of the landfill collapse in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City are immediately felt, by paying a personal visit to the site of the tragedy on Saturday, January 18.
Tulfo, who is also Chairman of the Senate Committee on Social Justice and Rural Development, ensured that the families of those who died would receive assistance from the government.
It was learned that aside from personally extending initial financial aid to several families of the fatalities, Sen. Erwin also took effort to immediately contact the Department of Social Welfare and Development to ensure that broader government assistance would follow, to include burial assistance, medical support for the injured and livelihood assistance for families who lost their source of income.
“Now is when the families of the victims need help the most. What happened is heartbreaking—they were simply working when tragedy struck,” Sen. Erwin said.
In his visit, Sen. Erwin also personally witnessed the extent of the damage caused by the collapsed mountain of garbage that buried the building which was being used as an office and bunkhouse for employees of the private landfill.
According to reports, most of the victims were inside the structure when the tragedy occurred and based on records from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the death toll has so far reached 36, while 18 others were injured in the incident that occurred on January 8.
Soon as he arrived at the site, Sen. Erwin immediately contacted the concerned government agencies to ensure the swift delivery of additional assistance to those affected.
At the same time, he stressed the need to hold accountable the agencies involved in the incident, particularly the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), citing an alleged lack of strict oversight in the landfill’s operations.
“I cannot understand why the EMB of the DENR allowed the construction of a building at the foot of a mountain of garbage,” Tulfo said while speaking with the bereaved families.
He noted that the location was clearly dangerous and had long posed a risk of collapse, stressing that had the concerned agencies properly performed their duties, the tragedy could have been prevented.
Sen. Erwin also gave the assurance that he would push for a thorough Senate investigation to determine accountability and ensure that similar tragedies do not happen again.
“This is not only about providing aid today, but about accountability and protecting the lives of workers in the future,” he stressed.
