Water firm takes slow but sure approach in retrieving corpse

"We will not rush to get the body out."

Manila Water Co. Inc. (MWCI) officials said operations to retrieve the body of 19 year-old Randy Diaz inside its pipelines should not be rushed, even as it entered its fourth day yesterday.

MWCI corporate communications director Joel Lacsamana, said the plan to remove the water from the pipelines and send in divers to retrieve the body of Diaz has been saddled with "delays."

Lacsamana explained that while they have shut down the main line, the plugging and de-watering of a portion of the line is "taking longer than expected" and will definitely delay the "mission for a day or two."

They could not yet send in divers, Lacsamana said, to manually rerieve the body saying "it could be dangerous and life-threatening for them."

"We will not rush this. Time is of the essence of course, but we will not risk another life. We will make sure that once divers get into the water lines, they will be safe," he stressed.

But the Department of Health (DOH) said the body must be fished out "for the peace of mind of the public," emphasizing the psychological effect of a body of a dead man contaminating the water supply system.

The DOH, however, admitted MWCI was correct in claiming a single dead body could not contaminate the entire water system.

Manila Water earlier tried to flush out the body out of its pipeline to the San Juan reservoir which is no longer in use.

Resorted to "de-watering" of the line by flushing out the body in consuming hundred million liters of water, the plan apparently failed prompting them to utilize divers.

But Lacsamana assured consumers the water supply is totally "safe and potable" emphasizing the use of more chlorine to disinfect contaminants.

"We sympathize with the family of Mr. Diaz and we hope that this will be over today or before the weekend at the very latest. This is costing Manila Water millions of pesos," he said.

Diaz drowned Saturday afternoon in Barangay Quirino after the concrete slab which covers the ventilation chamber gave way from his weight plunging him into the main pipeline below. – Matthew Estabillo, Sheila Crisostomo