DENR eyes legal options vs Navotas landfill owner
MANILA, Philippines — Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said on Tuesday that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is coordinating with the Office of the Solicitor General to study the possible legal actions to be taken against the operator of the fire-hit Navotas landfill.
“On our side, we have been discussing with the Office of Solicitor General about studying legal remedies that we can avail of moving forward,” the DENR chief said after an inspection of the landfill.
Fire hit the landfill on April 10. Although under control, it has yet to be fully extinguished and has significantly raised air pollution to dangerous levels in nearby areas, particularly Metro Manila. The Philippine Space Agency reported that on April 24 that air quality in the metropolis “has not returned to normal levels.”
Methane gas buildup
The Bureau of Fire Protection earlier said that 70 percent to 80 percent of the 43-hectare site caught fire because of “built up methane gas from decomposing materials [that] reached its ignition point due to exposed waste surfaces.”
“We’re meeting within the week with the Solicitor General and lawyers to determine what steps we can possibly take,” Cuna said.
He added that the landfill operator, Phil Ecology Systems Corp (PhilEco), had made a commitment to submit its safe closure and rehabilitation plan.
PhilEco first submitted its plan in October 2025, only to withdraw it on March 4 this year. According to the DENR, the plan lists the processes for physical closure and post-closure management.
The DENR recently ordered all sanitary landfills to submit a contingency plan, including their emergency response measures covering fire and other emergency incidents within 15 calendar days.
With the fire still not put out, the air quality in nearby Valenzuela City remains above the national guideline value, Cuna said. He noted that it measures 48 micrograms per normal cubic meter of particulate matter (PM) 2.5, which is above the normal guideline of 35 PM 2.5.
“We advise sensitive groups, particularly the elderly and children, to stay inside. Let’s stay indoors for now or let’s continue to wear face masks,” he said. /cb
