The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Office of the Solicitor General are moving to file cases stemming from the Navotas sanitary landfill fire, with meetings already held with Solicitor General Darlene Berberabe herself, a DENR official said Saturday, June 6.
DENR Assistant Secretary Norlito Eneran made the disclosure in an interview on DZRH News program “Special on Saturday,“ saying the plan to file cases is now ongoing following coordination with the OSG, which serves as the government’s legal representative in such proceedings.
“‘Yung ating mga investigation reports are already there. May mga meetings na rin po kami by no less than the SolGen herself, nakausap na po namin, and ongoing na po ‘yung plan to file cases,” Eneran said.
The fire broke out on April 10 at the 44-hectare Navotas Sanitary Landfill in Barangay Tanza, Navotas, after built-up methane gas from decomposing waste reached its ignition point, sending thick toxic smoke across Metro Manila for weeks and prompting a state of calamity declaration in Obando, Bulacan.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared the fire extinguished on May 10, commending government agencies, private sector partners, and the Japanese government, which deployed technical experts from the Tokyo Fire Department to assist in suppression operations.
Eneran confirmed that the fire is now in its advanced suppression stage with no active fire remaining in the area, crediting a whole-of-government response and Japanese technical assistance for containing the blaze.
“Nagkaroon tayo ng whole-of-government approach dito… wala nang fire dito sa area na ito, contained na, or totally wala na siya because of the system in place nung ating mga technical personnel, through the help of Tokyo Fire Department,” Eneran said.
DENR Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna had earlier said water quality near the landfill remained poor even after the fire was declared out, with notices of violation issued to operator Philippine Ecology Systems Corp. for non-compliance with its Environmental Compliance Certificate conditions, including failure to submit a mandatory safe closure and rehabilitation plan.
“Environmental negligence has consequences. We will not allow operators to walk away from their responsibilities,” Cuna earlier said.
Eneran said the Navotas fire prompted DENR to intensify inspections of existing sanitary landfills nationwide, with the agency now pushing for strict implementation of safe closure plans under Republic Act 9003, which limits the operational life of a sanitary landfill to five years before a new site must be identified.
