EMB hits waste dumping at DENR-Davao office

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MANILA, Philippines — The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) yesterday criticized the dumping of garbage in front of the office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Davao City after Mayor Sebastian Duterte designated the area as one of the waste collection points.

The EMB, an attached agency of the DENR, said the waste dumping violated environmental laws and distracted efforts being undertaken by the bureau to ensure public safety at the Davao City Sanitary Landfill.

Environmental officials said such actions violate the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which prohibits littering and illegal waste dumping.

The law imposes fines, community service or imprisonment on violators.

“Dumping trash in front of government offices is not only unlawful. It undermines the very principles of ecological solid waste management,” EMB Director Michael Drake Matias said. “Our focus must remain on protecting lives, rehabilitating the landfill and ensuring compliance with environmental standards.”

A day after the trash slide, which buried 15 houses and killed two people on May 20, the DENR suspended the operation of the sanitary landfill.

The suspension annoyed Duterte, who said the closure of the landfill posed health risks to residents.

The DENR said the order was a technical decision meant to secure retrieval operations, enable geotechnical assessments, and protect workers and nearby communities.

The EMB said that claims linking President Marcos to the suspension of the landfill operation are false and misleading, noting the decision was made solely on technical and safety grounds.

Matias said the landfill could be reopened next week, provided that all corrective actions for safety are fully complied with and verified.