The Manila Times
SEN. Risa Hontiveros has renewed her call for a comprehensive review of the country’s solid waste management framework following a massive landfill fire in Navotas that blanketed nearby communities in hazardous smoke and raised serious environmental and public health concerns. “For days, residents in the Camanava area, some parts of the National Capital Region, and even as far as Bataan, have been exposed to unhealthy air quality that was never supposed to pose this kind of danger. This incident is deeply alarming,” Hontiveros said. The senator pointed to systemic weaknesses in the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 9003, the country’s primary law governing waste management. She emphasized the need to revisit both the law and its amendments to address recurring failures in landfill regulation and oversight. In February, Hontiveros filed Senate Resolution (SR) 285, which seeks a Senate investigation into the country’s solid waste management system. The resolution was prompted by the collapse of the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City, an incident she described as symptomatic of broader institutional lapses. “This is exactly what we wanted to avoid when we filed SR 285. Such incidents should never happen again. The real tragedy is if we do nothing to fix the obvious lapses in our solid waste management system,” she said. Hontiveros emphasized that the Navotas fire is not an isolated case, citing past landfill-related disasters in Cebu City and Rodriguez. She warned that continued reliance on landfills — rather than waste reduction, segregation, and recycling — has increased the risks of environmental hazards. “Our laws are clear. Landfills are meant to be the last resort and not the default solution. But gaps in implementation at the local level continue to push large volumes of waste into landfills,” she noted. The senator also flagged regulatory gaps in monitoring landfill operations. She cited provisions under DENR Administrative Order 2017-15, particularly Section 16.1, which limits Multipartite Monitoring Teams (MMTs) to Environmentally Critical Projects (ECPs). As a result, landfills classified as non-ECPs or Category B projects often escape regular oversight. “If monitoring is weak, there is a real risk of environmental standards being violated. The DENR must ensure that obligations under the Environmental Compliance Certificate are strictly implemented, including proper closure and rehabilitation of landfills,” Hontiveros said. She reiterated her call for an immediate inquiry under Senate Resolution 285, stressing the urgency of accountability and reform. “This is no longer a simple waste management issue. The health of the people, the environment, and the safety of our communities depend on it. We need immediate action before the tragedy is repeated elsewhere,” she said.
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