Manila, May 21 -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said the Davao City Sanitary Landfill had already been flagged for multiple environmental and safety violations before the tragic trash slide on Wednesday that killed one person, injured two, and left two others missing.

Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said the tragedy highlighted the urgency of implementing long-delayed corrective measures.

"Every life lost is unacceptable," he said in a news release Thursday,

"The DENR and the LGU (local government unit) have been working together on the technical and regulatory requirements for months. This incident reinforces the need to accelerate slope stabilization and the safe closure plan."

The DENR said the c...