Ever wondered why Manila had started smelling like last week’s leftovers?

It turns out the city was drowning in trash because the previous administration under Mayor Honey Lacuna allegedly failed to pay nearly a billion pesos in unpaid dues to garbage contractors.

With no funds, no trucks showed up—and the garbage, well, didn’t take itself out.

For Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, who officially returned as Manila mayor on Monday, that nearly billion-peso debt is just the tip of the iceberg. He hinted that more surprises could surface as he digs deeper into the city’s finances in the coming days.

In a press conference at Manila City Hall on Monday, Domagoso disclosed that the total obligation of the city to garbage collection firms Leonel Waste Management Corporation, MetroWaste Solid Waste Management Corporation, and Philippine Ecology Systems Corporation (PhilEco) had ballooned to P961 million.

According to the new mayor, Leonel, owed ₱561 million, hadn’t been paid since its contract expired on 31 December last year.

Meanwhile, MetroWaste and PhilEco had withdrawn as of 30 June, citing more than ₱400 million in unpaid dues.

“They didn’t pay Leonel, and now they haven’t paid MetroWaste and PhilEco either, which is absurd. No company will bear the brunt (of losses) because it’s their business,” Domagoso told reporters.

He said the previous administration denied having any unpaid obligations to Leonel since October of last year, “only payables.”

Despite not being paid, Leonel’s garbage trucks continued to collect waste and completed its contract on 31 December, Domagoso said.

After that, the Lacuna administration entered into a new ₱561-million contract with MetroWaste and PhilEco—but also failed to pay them, allegedly due to “financial mismanagement,” prompting both firms to pull out.

Domagoso said that, according to the companies, they were paid only for the month of January.

A better mayor, better person

Lacuna did not touch on the issue in her final address on Monday.

“You made me a better mayor. You made me a better person,” she told her supporters during the flag-raising ceremony.

Efforts to get a comment from the former mayor were unsuccessful.

State of health emergency

With Manila drowning in uncollected garbage, Domagoso warned the city was on the brink of a crisis—from the stench and unsightly streets to the threat of a health epidemic.

Thus, he declared a State of Citywide Health Emergency effective 30 June.

“I have begged Leonel to dedicate all their resources to the city of Manila to collect all the garbage on all the streets. And we are very thankful it was positively received by them—for free. I will also convene the City Council on Tuesday to come up with legal remedies to confront the problem,” Domagoso said.

He said the citywide cleanup and garbage collection kicked off at 2 p.m. on Monday and will continue non-stop.

“It’s going to be hard, it’s not that simple, but I need everyone’s cooperation. The City Engineering Department and the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office will also do the job. And in all humility, I am asking for the national government through the MMDA to help us ease the pain and suffering of the people of Manila concerning the garbage problem,” Domagoso said.

Asked if his administration plans to go after those responsible for the garbage mess, the mayor said that will have to wait for now as his priority is the cleanup.

“I will go after maybe only two percent of their accountability, while the other 98 percent will be dedicated to servicing Manileños and resolving the mess,” he replied.