Over 30 national identification (ID) cards were found at a garbage dump in Catbalogan City, Province of Samar.
Scavengers found at least 32 national IDs at Mahayag Dumpsite dawn on January 6, 2025.
It was learned that the items were part of the 11,000 national IDs of residents in Barangay Canlapwas, identified as the largest barangay in Catbalogan City.
However, an official of the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) said that the items were not disposed of, contrary to the news that circulated.
The IDs were said to be part of the items distributed in Barangay Canlapwas on January 3, 2024, and must have dropped accidentally from an ecological bag (ecobag) handled by the messenger.
The IDs were supposedly set for delivery on January 6, 2025.
The scavengers opened the envelope thinking that it contained cash.
“Nag-attempt iya pagdeliver tapos paghuman niya pag-attempt waray man diha ang tag-ada waray na iya itoy paghinano kung nahulog ito. Waray paghinano. Siguro nahulog ito, iya kay dili man ito hingangadtoha kuan dumpsite kung waray it kahulog (Nag-attempt pagdeliver tapos pagkatapos nyan mag-attempt, wala naman ang may-ari ng bahay, hindi nya na napansin na nahulog na pala. Hindi naman mapupunta sa dumpsite yan kung hindi yan nahulog)," Rona Inovejas, acting postmaster of Catbalogan City, said.
As for Rod Lino Betana, the Philpost messenger involved in the incident, he said he was surprised when his attention was called on IDs found in the dumpsite.
He said he did not throw away any ID.
"Nataktak hini sarayada kay nag-uuran liwat. Syempre kun maghuna-huna ko kung sungsungon ko tong uran, ang mga subpoena, mga importanteng document liwat mahuhulos tapos sasalaon ini. Wala ko ma-check liwat kay nag-uuran man. (Nahulog sa kasagsagan ng malakas na ulan. Syempre naisip ko kung pipilitin ko talaga na umalis na malakas yung ulan, ang mga subpoena at iba pang importante na dokumento, nababasa, ako rin ang sisisihin. Hindi ko na na-check kasi malakas na sobra ang ulan),” Betana said.
Inovejas said the messenger would not face any sanction, though, because the incident was not done intentionally.
Inovejas and Betana apologized to the public for the neglect and assured no similar incident would happen again.
(via GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak Desk)
