A severed human leg was found among heaps of garbage at a landfill in upland Barangay Tapul, Talisay City, Cebu Province.
The human leg stirred scavengers who found it inside a carton past 2 p.m. on February 12, 2025.
The scavengers reported the find immediately to barangay officials. After which, police responded to the site.
The Regulation Licensing and Enforcement Division of the Department of Health (DOH) 7 has not received an official complaint on the disposal of a human leg in a dumpsite, but Dr. Annesa Patindol, division chief, clarified they have the severed body part checked.
Patindol said that amputated body parts pose health risks because these are considered infectious waste. Should it be proven that the leg was disposed of improperly, a case will be filed against the hospital.
The Talisay City Police has conducted their investigation in coordination with operatives of Scene of the Crime Operation (SOCO).
According to the Talisay City Police, they have coordinated with the hospital believed to have disposed of the human leg.
Police learned that there was miscommunication between the garbage collector and the hospital.
The medical waste are classified as general waste, and pathological waste to which amputated body parts, syringes, and other related medical waste belong.
The garbage collector who was to collect general waste supposedly took the pathological waste as well.
The hospital pointed out that they have a separate waste service provider that collects pathological waste.
The human leg was taken by the Talisay City Police to the said hospital for proper disposal.
