No usable toilets for families displaced by Manay quake

The toilets at Bayanihan Village where residents of Manay, Davao Oriental hit by the quake are temporarily housed. MindaNews photo by RAZL EJ TEMAN

MANAY, Davao Oriental (MindaNews / 9 January) – Toilets at the Bayanihan Village here have been used beyond capacity, affecting 50 families who were housed in modular shelter units after the doublet earthquake that struck in October last year.

In an interview Thursday, village president Elma Catampao said the toilets only had a three-month capacity of human discharge, and were expected to be full by the end of January.

Some toilets have clogged while others spewed back the human discharges, she said, adding they took videos of these to be sent to the local government.

The toilets, five for males and five for females, were meant to service the village residents until December 2026.

Catampao said they have an agreement with the local government to stay there for six months to one year starting from the turnover of the modular shelters.

She said an engineer from the Municipal Engineering Office (MEO) has already told them that they will bring the matter to the mayor.

MEO officer-in-charge Engr. Prisco Jr. F. Balaba said the toilets were provided by the Red Cross, and turned over to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Davao Region.

Meanwhile, four unused portable toilets were placed near the village. But Catampao said she has not asked the MEO if the residents may use them.

Balaba said no portable toilets were placed under their care.

He said the main option is pumping out human waste from the toilets.

He, however, noted that the process cannot be rushed because it would involve additional costs, and there are currently no septic tank desludging services available in the town, with Mati, the capital city of Davao Oriental, being the nearest to have such kind of services.

Asked about building new toilets, he said it won’t be done since the shelters are only temporary.

For now, Catampao said the displaced families may either use the toilets despite the condition or go to their relatives in the town. (Razl EJ Teman/MindaNews)