The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
OCEANA, an international conservation NGO, raised possible alarm about the possible water and fish contamination near the Navotas landfill since the garbage fire on April 10 that affected around 90 percent of the 44-hectare sanitary landfill, emitting toxic smoke that brought the air quality in northern Metro Manila (the whole of Quezon City), Bulacan and Bataan to dangerous levels.
Oceana’s campaigns and science specialist Diuvs de Jesus, said that pollutants that were released and travel with smoke plumes will eventually settle on land and water.
Landfill leachate, the polluted liquid that drains from waste, along with the runoff from rain and water from firefighting and flowing over the landfill, may carry contaminants into waterways leading to the sea, she said.
Oceana called on the Navotas LGU and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to strictly monitor the water quality and sediments, aside from the air quality.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources should look into the sea shells and crabs that are at high risk of contamination with heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, Oceana said, adding that precautionary measures should be taken, especially in the affected areas.
Incomplete
The DENR—Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) cited the non-implementation of the daily soil covering requirement and the incomplete gas vent pipes as key factors that may have contributed to the fire at the Navotas Sanitary Landfill.
DENR-EMB National Capital Region Director Janice Pammit told reporters that “many contributing factors” may have caused the Navotas sanitary landfill fire, worsened by methane buildup and extreme heat. She said the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) will determine the official cause of the fire.
Pammit also underscored lapses in basic landfill management, as noted in the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), particularly the failure to apply daily soil cover and the lack of the required number of gas vent pipes, both of which are critical to preventing heat buildup and fire.
“Daily soil covering kasi isa sa condition na dapat nagkakaroon ng daily soil covering doon sa area, one of the major [requirements] na hindi nila nagawa based on our initial inspection. Iyan po ang findings, hindi po nakapag-daily soil cover [because one of the conditions is that there should be daily soil covering in that area, one of the major things they failed to do, based on our initial inspection. Those are the findings. They did not perform daily soil cover],” she said, referring to the landfill’s former operator, Philippine Ecology Systems Corp. (PhilEco).
She added that incomplete gas vent pipes should have been installed in the sanitary landfill.
Gas vent pipes, as referenced in the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) guidelines, are crucial components of sanitary landfills for releasing methane and other gases generated during waste decomposition. These pipes prevent the buildup of explosive gases.
Violations
“DOON sa kanilang ECC, there are a number of gas vent pipes na dapat nandoon sa area, but apparently hindi nailagay lahat. Mayroon pong gas vent pipes pero hindi kompleto [In their ECC, there are a number of gas vent pipes that should have been in the area, but apparently not all of them were installed. There are gas vent pipes, but they are not complete],” Pammit said.
She also flagged delays in submitting and implementing a Safe Closure, Rehabilitation, and Abandonment Plan (SCRAP) to properly cap, secure, and restore landfills and dumpsites, thereby reducing environmental pollution and other risks.
The DENR-EMB has issued multiple notices of violation (NOVs) against the landfill operator, both before and after the fire, for noncompliance with environmental regulations.
Pammit said PhilEco failed to fully implement closure measures after its franchise expired in August 2025.
“Ten percent lang yung soil cover na nagawa nila [They only completed 10 percent of the soil cover)],” she said, noting that daily soil covering during operations and proper closure procedures are critical safeguards against fires.
No closure plan
SHE said the operator had withdrawn its closure plan and has yet to submit a revised version.
“Hanggang ngayon po ay wala pa pong sina-submit na panibagong safe closure [plan] [Until now, no new safe closure (plan) has been submitted),” Pammit said.
Under existing guidelines, violations of ECC conditions carry penalties of up to P50,000 per day.
Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs, Enforcement, Human Resources, and Field Operations-Luzon Norlito Eneran said the DENR is building a case with the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to determine possible administrative, civil, and criminal liabilities.
“We’re looking at civil, as well as criminal, if warranted,” he said.
Despite the incident, the DENR-EMB said the air quality in Metro Manila and nearby areas has improved in recent days, based on its monitoring, adding that particulate matter (PM) levels 2.5 and 10 remained within standards, even in Navotas.
However, testing for water quality around the landfill is ongoing, with results expected within the week.
Pammit said fire suppression efforts led by the BFP continue, including slope stabilization, soil covering, and cooling operations.