I just arrived from the actual scene and still remain restless by the overwhelming realities that beset Payatas yesterday (July 10, 730 -800A.M.).

While Erap (Philippines President) raises the Philippine flag over the ironically government triumphant war struggle in Mindanao, Payatas in the Land of Promise (Ina ngLupang Pangako), suffers stunning sorrow and unbounded loss by the sudden collapse (trash slides) of the eastern portion of its dumpsite which portion measures approximately 50 feet in height and 30-40 meters in length (with thousands and millions of tons of garbage) covering the areas of Purok numbers 5 to 10, 17 and 21 (according to Lucy) and burying instantly and leaving homeless at least 300 families. This number could still escalate as it is only based on a rough survey considering that there are houses which accommodate 3-4 families in one roof and no formal accounting of families has been done seriously in this area.

While about 60 people so far are dead (with the recovery operations), 37others are injured and a total of 778 people are housed and evacuated at the Payatas Elementary School and Ina ng Lupang Pangako Chapel. These people are shocked as some are lone survivors (usually male because they already left for work when the incident happened) of the whole family of 5,6, 7..., others are already trying to get recovered but still others are wandering and remain unspeakable because of the tragic loss of sons, daughters, parents, grandparents and other extended families and neighbors.

Rescue as of this moment is already hopeless as those victimized are already dead (possibly burned and poisoned with the presence of combustible methane gas and other chemicals). Recovery/ retrieval operations are still on-going with the help of mechanical loaders/ backhoes and batallions of soldiers of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), the volunteers of Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) and the Community Volunteers using manual shovels (for digging) in a dumpsite that is heavily piled with accumulated plastics and other hard materials. So far, the portion to be digged out is still about 10-15 meters from the foot of the dumpsite to it stop most points.

Several personalities could be found in the area (aside the many trucks ofAFP, PNRC, Fire Protection; vans and other vehicles). While some take footages, videos and coverage, others took enormous personal advantage of the situation as this tragedy is a matter of national and international concern and publicity. The voluminous media people and their coverage; NGOs, the social service department of the local government, the mayor (Mathay) and his self-acclaimed son for the next election (Chuck), councilors and many politicians shaking hands, distributing relief goods, etc. The local government through Mathay is  washing its hands over the incident and rather turns the coin of primary responsibility on the residents there, saying that the residents have been warned and paid beforehand and were told to vacate the premises or resettle in somewhere else's property or return to native provinces as early as 1977 but they refuse to do so.

Ceres Doyo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the one who wrote about the savings program in December 1999 went to the scene to make a follow-up write-up, about the people's hope in tomorrow, about the VMSDFI savings and land acquisition program.

The Scavenger Federation (through Noli, Lucy, Mario, Awid, etc.) together with the Payatas-based VMSDFI volunteers and some Parish workers continuously remain at reach in the area for immediate assistance they can extend. Yesterday they sought the help of the AFP through BBC for the immediate deployment of its engineering batallion to Payatas, picked relief goods (foods and medicines) from Splash and RFM Foundations, etc., brought victims to hospitals (since the ambulance came late for the rescue) and to the evacuation center. With the arrival of several agencies (LGU, NHA, DSWD, MMDA, NGOs, AFP, BBC, Task Force Payatas, etc.), PSAI and VMSDFI now work in coordination with them while the retrieval operations continue and stop only when it rains hard.

So far, food (bread, rice, sardines, hotdogs and few canned goods) and medicines supplies are provided except for clothing/household needs and shelter (for those who save nothing but themselves), burial/ funeral expenses, hospitalization and financial support (as you mentioned) while they are recovering from the incident and for starting a new life. As per recent words from the Mayor, the government is negotiating with a nearby(10-20 minutes ride from Payatas) landowners (Yap, Halili) to buy at a reduced land price (from $80 to $58 per sq. mtr.) where the evacuees could start again as their homes while on the other hand, is asking San Mateo(landfill location) to accommodate the garbage of the metropolis pending stoppage of garbage entry to Payatas. I hope these words will not remain empty jargon.

Should you have further questions, I will just be here. Should I be able to gather more information of interest to this report, I will keep you updated.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Grace

________________________________________________________

Vincentian Missionaries Social Development Foundation, Inc. (VMSDFI)

221 Tandang Sora Avenue, Quezon City
P.O. Box 1179 NIA Road, PHILIPPINES

TEL (632) 455 9480 TELEFAX (632) 454 2834 

EMAIL 
vmsdfi@info.com.ph 

 We know that they want to know the actual situation in Payatas and for this they would appreciate first-hand data.

This is now the 3rd-day of rescue and recovery operations but there are still indefinite number of families who are missing. In addition to those which have been written so far, I want to update on further details

1. The death toll (July 12, 5 P.M.) is already 120 people as retrieval operations continue. People at the evacuation centers (Payatas Elementary School and Ina ng Lupang Pangako Chapel) is now reaching about 998 people since those living nearby (that adjacent portion of the trash slides incident) likewise vacated their premises because of the high propensity of this portion to also collapse. The other chapel is housed by coffins and cadavers of the victims.

2. Survivors of this tragedy are even faced with more sorrow as Mathay continues to claim that they were already paid but they remain "hard-headed". However, the residents claim otherwise. As a matter of fact, not a single penny has reached them. Besides, if they'll be relocated, they need to pay for "rights" (right of occupancy) which amount is far beyond their capability to pay since, to sustain their basic needs, they even find difficulty in making both ends meet.

3. While food and other short-term needs are so far, well-provided as there are several institutions, individuals who supply them, its long term needs (like rice supply, housing and resettlement expenses) are far from having addressed as of this moment. On the other hand, burial expenses (coffin, embalming) are being shouldered by the local government.

4. The Scavenger Federation with VMSDFI are now on a well-defined relief and rehabilitation tasks, ranging from but not limited to, case monitoring, networking, research and documentation, including goods distribution and food supplies as well as mobilizing volunteers and resources. However, they are now on a more critical level of delivering rehabilitation services since they now casually deal with the local government unlike the first past 2 days where the Federation tried to work with them. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) are the ones legally mandated to carry out  the relief and rehabilitation operation (with their own resources) but these people failed to effectively work in coordination with other institutions (particularly VMSDFI and PSAI)  in the area, instead they insist on their own conventional mode of delivering services (DSWD and local government personnel on front) thereby jeopardizing community-based initiatives, the mechanism where we try to mobilize local volunteers our paramedics, para-legals, scavenger leaders, other program staff and volunteers because we believe in their capability; that, despite of this tragic situation, we still consider them as the best experts of their own situation. Hence, the PSAI and VMSDFI group, while not entirely and boldly creating a different task force, are working on underground initiatives through its mobilized volunteers, to avoid tensions on the part of the government.

Maurice and Tom, the volunteerism work of our POs are hardly recognized by the government. They want to entirely take charge of the whole situation, though it's impossible. While there are fair supply of foods, the DSWD distribution process is not well-coordinated as there are many hands (self-interested personalities, government people with all their streamers, if not, vestitures of recognition, etc.)

These are, so far, the realities here. Should you have further questions, we will be available.

Thank you.

Grace

On behalf of the People of Payatas and VMSDFI,

Vincentian Missionaries Social Development Foundation, Inc. (VMSDFI)

221 Tandang Sora Avenue, Quezon City
P.O. Box 1179 NIA Road, PHILIPPINES

TEL (632) 455 9480 TELEFAX (632) 454 2834