THE DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office XI, through its Pag-abot Program, reintegrated a victim displaced by the Davao City landfill collapse.
Armando C. Petere and his family were reintegrated into their hometown in Barangay San Roque, New Corella, Davao del Norte on June 6, 2026.
Petere was among those who lost their homes and source of livelihood when a landslide struck the sanitary landfill in Barangay New Carmen, Tugbok District, on May 20, 2026.
DSWD XI said Petere’s family had been scavenging at the site to make ends meet when the incident occurred.
Following the collapse, the family temporarily took shelter at an evacuation center, where they were profiled under the Pag-abot Program.
Pag-abot Program is a DSWD XI initiative that assists individuals and families living and surviving on the streets to achieve a more stable and self-sufficient life.
Through the program’s reintegration component, Petere was reintegrated to his place of origin to reunite with his family and also received ₱10,000 in financial assistance as initial support for his family’s recovery back in their hometown.
DSWD XI said the family will undergo further assessment to determine the appropriate livelihood assistance for them to establish a stable source of income.
To note, during a reach-out activity on May 25, 22 individuals who are not from Davao City were among the affected families from the trash-slide incident.
Those profiled individuals included two families from Arakan, Cotabato; one individual from Agusan del Sur; one family from Mati City, Davao Oriental; and one individual from Panabo City, Davao del Norte.
The Pag-abot Program assessed whether the affected families had additional needs upon reintegration, including livelihood, financial, or shelter assistance, depending on the findings and subject to the program’s existing guidelines.
Councilor Temujin Ocampo, in an earlier interview, emphasized that building houses in the sanitary landfill is prohibited.
Davao City families affected by the incident are being assessed for necessary assistance from the local government, including free housing.
In an earlier interview with Lakandiwa Orcullo, chief of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Division of CENRO, waste pickers chose to build their houses near the sanitary landfill as their source of income depends on the trash they retrieve.
Ideally, only residuals should be thrown at the landfill; however, due to the lack of a materials recovery facility in some barangays, recyclables and even reusable items end up at the dumpsite.
The Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) XI ordered the permanent closure and stoppage of all dumping operations at the old Davao City Sanitary Landfill on June 19, following the expiration of the temporary waste disposal extension of the city government.
The new facility’s interim cell has opened to receive waste starting June 18, while the city government is directed to submit a draft Safe Closure and Rehabilitation Plan of the old sanitary landfill within 30 days following its closure.
To note, the permanent closure stems from a tragic trash slide which resulted in two fatalities, one missing person, and two injuries.
