RODRIGUEZ, Rizal — Panic swept through a small village here following reports about another impending landslide and explosion inside the 19-hectare sanitary landfill in this town.

This prompted Rizal Governor Casimiro “Jun” Ynares III to immediately dispatch inspectors to the dumpsite located at Sitio Lukutang Munti in Barangay San Isidro, this town.

Inspectors, however, found no sign of a landslide or explosion anywhere inside the provincial government’s solid waste disposal facility.

In a statement, Gov. Ynares said the reports about another landslide are “totally false and are just meant to sow terror and panic among local folks.”

“I fervently hope that they (or whoever the source of those rumors are) would postpone politicking at a time when our people need more help than terror and despair,” Ynares said.

“We find it rather improper and ill-timed for people to sow terror and panic when the situation calls for all of us to unite and bring fourth help and hope to the hundreds of thousands of Rizaleños who have been adversely affected by Ondoy,” Ynares added.

The provincial chief executive likewise asked residents of Sitio Lukutang Munti to remain vigilant as he urged those who started spreading rumors to refrain from bringing further distress to the province.

Acting Mayor Jonas Cruz, who also instructed his personnel to verify the report about the alleged landslide, told this reporter that there is no reason for panic as the local government is also doing its role in ensuring the safety of the town residents.

The acting mayor appealed to residents not to fall prey to rumor mongers who are sowing terror and taking advantage of the situation during this time of calamity.