EDITORIAL — Another tragedy in Cebu

Remember Typhoon Tino? The tropical cyclone hit the country on Nov. 4 last year, spawning cataclysmic flooding that left 150 people dead in Cebu and more in Negros and other areas. As of Nov. 16, at least 57 remained missing in Cebu due to Tino.

It turns out that Tino’s extreme rainfall and flooding, which caught Cebu by surprise, had not finished wreaking havoc in the city.

On Thursday afternoon, the nation was reminded of the impact of Tino after a landfill facility in Cebu City collapsed in Barangay Binaliw.

As of Friday night, 36 people, mostly workers in the facility remained missing, with two others confirmed dead and several others badly injured. The site housed the materials recovery facility and offices of the landfill operator, Prime Integrated Waste Solutions.

Officials said the ground that served as foundation of the landfill had apparently been loosened and made unstable by the flooding from Tino and the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu on the night of Sept. 30 last year.

The cause of the collapse has yet to be officially established. In the meantime, the deadly accident has reminded the country of Tino, and the results of investigations that were supposed to be carried out to determine what contributed to the deadly flooding apart from extreme rainfall.

Last month, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources filed criminal and administrative charges against the Mont Property Group, developer of the high-end Monterrazas de Cebu in Barangay Guadalupe, which some quarters have partly blamed for the flooding. The DENR accused the developer of massive tree-cutting for the property.

Mont Property claims it complied with environmental requirements and says the flood-hit areas of Liloan, Mandaue and Talisay were part of a different flood basin. Some quarters, meanwhile, asked why the DENR approved the project in a watershed in the first place.

There were also complaints that seven mayors of Cebu, among them Aljew Fernando Frasco of flooded Liloan, along with provincial board member Andrew Duterte were in Europe during Tino’s onslaught. Were they ever subjected to a probe? Did they get even a slap on the wrist from the Department of the Interior and Local Government?

What about those who defied the DILG order for local officials to cancel foreign trips when Super Typhoon Uwan hit the country on Nov. 20? DILG chief Jonvic Remulla said 24 local officials, mostly mayors, were under investigation for foreign trips from Nov. 9 to 15.

Accountability related to the deluge during Tino cannot wait for the next killer flood to hit Cebu.