TARLAC CITY, Tarlac — Nearly three months after a devastating hazardous waste accident left her with severe burns, an 18-year-old aspiring beauty queen from Barangay San Rafael has succumbed to her injuries.
The victim, Aira Miguel, died on July 8, 2026, after undergoing surgical operations at a hospital in Cabanatuan City.
On April 9, 2026, Aira was walking with her friends between Barangay Balete and Barangay Lourdes in Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac City when one of her friends stepped on broken glass. Miguel searched the roadside for leaves to treat the wound.
While searching, she accidentally stepped into an exposed, dump-truck-sized mound of extremely hot chemical waste dumped along the roadside. Her feet and one of her hands sank into the scalding chemicals, resulting in severe burns.
A joint inspection by the Philippine National Police (PNP), the victim’s family, and officials from barangays San Rafael, Balete, and Lourdes confirmed that the hazardous material was dumped near the roadside without any fence, safety barriers, or warning signs.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Kaisa San Rafael echoed the family’s call for immediate action and accountability following the tragedy.
“Sa gitna ng kanilang matinding pagdadalamhati, nananawagan ang pamilya ni Aira ng hustisya at ng masusing imbestigasyon upang mapanagot ang sinumang may pananagutan at upang hindi na ito muling mangyari sa iba,” the post read.
