MARVIN and Melvin Nacua were planning to join the Sinulog, their aunt Ofelia Laoc said yesterday.
Their father, Mario, had promised to help the Sandiego dance troupe during its performance in the Sinulog grand parade on Sunday.
The three were planning to use part of the payment they would get from cleaning the septic tank of a pension house in Barangay Valladolid, Carcar to pay for their trip to Cebu City. They were offered the job of manually cleaning a septic tank of the Traveller’s Inn for P5,000.
But the brothers and their father suffocated after inhaling the fumes inside the septic tank last Sunday.
Ban
Carcar Mayor Nice Apura, in a separate phone interview, said he will ask the council to pass an ordinance that will prohibit manual cleaning of septic tanks.
“Manual cleaning of septic tanks is unhealthy,” he said.
Apura has also ordered the Office of the Building Official to check the structure of the establishment, which is owned by Carcar Councilor Jeson Fernandez. (more)
It is a tragic story, but septic tanks are very dangerous. They give off Hydrogen Sulfide and methane gases, both of which are heavier than air and stay inside the tank and both of which are very dangerous.
No-one should ever enter a septic tank without breathing apparatus.
We convert septic tanks to sewage treatment plants, but ALWAYS leave the lid off the tank for at least a week after it has been emptied to allow the gases to escape before attempting any in-tank repairs. Even then, it is a 2 man job with the in-tank man roped to the man on the ground in case of emergency.