Philippine police arrested a Japanese property developer Friday in connection with a 1999 landslide that hit a subdivision west of Manila, destroying hundreds of houses and burying 58 people alive.
Hiroshi Ogawa, 39, was arrested at 7:20 a.m. at his home in Makati on suspicion of violating the Subdivision and Condominium Buyers' Protective Decree.
Police said Ogawa was detained inside the main headquarters of the Philippine National Police in suburban Quezon before being freed later on bail of 40,000 Philippine pesos (about 93,000 yen)
Ogawa is president and general manager of Philjas Corp., the company that developed and owned the Cherry Hills Subdivision in Antipolo.
At least 277 complainants, mostly relatives of those who perished in the tragedy on Aug. 3, 1999, filed a formal complaint over "reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide, serious physical injuries and damage to property" against Ogawa and his two Filipino partners, Tirso Santillan and Eliezer Rodriguez.
The complainants blamed Philjas for the tragedy, saying the company failed to consider safety in developing the housing project.
The Justice Department, after careful study, said in a ruling last year that the three suspects developed the subdivision "without due regard to the pertinent laws, rules and regulations or to the safety of the lives and property of the unit buyers and occupants of the subdivision."
However, an Antipolo lower court later dismissed the department's case for lack of merit, prompting the department to file another case over violations of the subdivision and condominium law.