The Manila Times
MANILA, Philippines—The task force composed of concerned national government agencies and the Navotas City government has deployed more heavy equipment to bury the closed landfill. Mayor John Rey Tiangco said on Sunday that he accompanied Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon and officials from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Health (DOH) who inspected the 41-hectare facility in Barangay Tanza 2. The landfill is situated off the coast, 2.6 kilometers from the mainland. Tiangco said the DPWH chief ordered the deployment of backhoes, bulldozers and dredgers to completely bury the landfill in a bid to fully extinguish the blaze. “We have resolved to put soil on top of the burning trash caused by methane gas underneath, otherwise it would continue to burn,” Dizon said during the inspection late last week. The landfill was closed last year. Dizon and Tiangco said they would also seek the help of the private sector for the deployment of more heavy equipment at the site. Tiangco told The Manila Times that the DENR is conducting its own probe for the possible filing of charges or imposition of sanctions against its former operator - Philippine Ecology Systems Corp. - for apparent abandonment and failure to complete the landfill’s safe closure. “There were no residents living in the closed facility but our main concern here is the toxic fumes out of the rubbish fire that have been spreading and affecting many cities in Metro Manila and towns in Bulacan particularly Obando and as far as Bataan province,” Tiangco said. Reports from the Bureau of Fire Protection showed that the landfill fire broke out on the night of April 10, 2026. Tiangco said the DOH has warned that the lingering haze from the landfill fire could pose health risks. “That is why, we are advising especially those near the closed facility to wear masks because the haze — air polluted with fine smoke and dust particles from fire and ash — may trigger coughing, chest pain, eye irritation, and worsen asthma and other lung diseases,” he said.
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