The body of a 78-year-old woman reported missing during the landfill slide on May 20, 2026, was recovered around 4:32 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at the sanitary landfill in Barangay New Carmen, Tugbok District, Davao City.
Vice President Sara Duterte's Statement
VICE President Sara Duterte hopes that the Davao City Sanitary Landfill will operate soon following its closure after the mass-wasting incident in the area, which resulted in two deaths.
"At sana ay magawan nila ng paraan na ma-operate o mabuksan 'yung current natin na landfill (And hopefully, they can find a way to make our current landfill operational or reopen it)," she said during the media interview on June 12, 2026, at Rizal Park in Davao City.
Duterte said that if the current landfill does not become operational, she hopes the local government will have an alternative landfill for better solid waste management.
This comes two weeks after a trash-slide incident struck the sanitary landfill in Barangay New Carmen on May 20, killing two people, injuring two others, and prompting authorities to halt landfill operations while assessments and rehabilitation work continue.
To recall, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Davao Region (DENR-Davao) said that it would lift the suspension order on the sanitary landfill once all the required safety and engineering interventions have been implemented.
Investigation into Mayor Baste Duterte
Meanwhile, on concerns regarding whether Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte is being investigated over his statement that the area in front of the regional office would become a new garbage collection point following the temporary closure of the New Carmen landfill, she said that any investigation involving the mayor would be under the jurisdiction of the City Legal Office.
"Makasigurado kung unsa ang lakang sa atoang local government regarding sa solid waste management (To ensure what steps our local government is taking regarding solid waste management)," she said.
Earlier, the younger Duterte said in a statement that a new garbage collection point would be in front of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional office so the agency could see the impact of the landfill closure on the city.
Following the statement, questions were raised over the move, prompting plans to investigate Mayor Duterte for possible administrative lapses related to the proposed dumping of garbage in front of the DENR regional office.
Palace Press Officer Clare Castro said on June 9, 2026, that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) would conduct a "thorough investigation" into Mayor Duterte's statement regarding a new collection point for waste in front of the DENR office.
Castro revealed that DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla had directed the conduct of an inquiry to determine whether Mayor Duterte or other Davao City officials committed any acts of negligence or violations of environmental laws.
“There should be no room for negligence. Therefore, any official who disregards their constituents or neglects their duties should be investigated,” she said to national media.
Castro said that administrative penalties would depend on the gravity of the offense found to have been committed by the mayor or city officials, whether it be reprimand, suspension, or removal from office.
The president may impose a preventive suspension of not more than 60 days on elective officials while their cases are being heard, as long as there is strong evidence of guilt and their continued stay in office would influence witnesses or compromise records and other evidence.
Castro also reminded all local government officials in the Philippines that they are there to serve the people and not themselves.
