- This despite corrective measures done
- Relocation of settlers accomplished
- City Hall protests, made DENR a dump site
Davao City – Piles of garbage were dumped in front of the Regional Office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-11) Thursday as the Davao City government stepped up its protest against the closure of the New Carmen Sanitary Landfill, a move that has disrupted waste collection across the city.
The mounting trash outside the DENR office came as City Mayor Sebastian Duterte accused the agency of causing a growing sanitation problem by suspending landfill operations without providing a clear timeline for reopening.
In a statement, Duterte said garbage collection services are experiencing delays following the landfill’s closure, which was ordered by the DENR Regional Director Maria Mercedes Dumagan under Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna.
Cuna was appointted by President Marcos in acting capacity. His appointment was a subject of protest by environmentalists due to his involvement in the importation of tons of trash from Canada sometime in 2013. His case was brought up to the Ombudsman but it was only in 2018 that he meted a 3-month suspension without pay.
To highlight the impact of the shutdown, the city government established additional collection points, including one directly in front of the DENR-11 office.
“To manage waste collection moving forward, we have identified additional collection points, including one in front of DENR XI office, so they can personally appreciate the volume of garbage that accumulates when an essential public service is halted indefinitely,” Duterte said.
The mayor warned that the longer the closure remains in effect, the greater the risk of a public health and sanitation crisis, blaming what he described as the agency’s “bureaucratic inaptitude.”
Duterte maintained that residents living near the landfill had already been evacuated and that immediate threats to human life had been addressed. He argued that corrective measures could be undertaken while allowing landfill operations to continue.
Instead, he said, the DENR chose to suspend the entire facility without specifying when it could resume operations.
The city government said it continues to comply with regulatory requirements but urged authorities to consider the practical implications of the closure, noting that Davao City generates around 750 tons of waste daily and serves nearly two million residents.
The New Carmen Sanitary Landfill is the city’s primary waste disposal facility. Its closure has resulted in accumulating garbage in several areas of the city, prompting concerns from local officials over potential health and sanitation issues if the situation persists.
As of Thursday, DENR had not yet released a statement addressing Duterte’s latest remarks or indicating when landfill operations might resume.
Some quarters suspect politics is behind it. At one time, Malacanang through Presidential Spokesperson, Usec Claire Castro, issued a statement claiming “Davao City is now the worse city to live, invest and travel in the country”. The black propaganda however did not diminish the popularity of Davao City which had been acknowledge as the Most Peaceful, Most Cleanest and top tourist destination in the country. The derogatory statement also failed to diminish the brand of Duterte leadership.
