The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) on Saturday condemned the dumping of garbage in front of the Region XI office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). 

“Dumping trash in front of government offices is not only unlawful, it undermines the very principles of ecological solid waste management”, the EMB Director Michael Drake Matias said. 

“Our focus must remain on protecting lives, rehabilitating the landfill, and ensuring compliance with environmental standards,” he added. 

The bureau reported the waste dumping violated environmental laws and constituted a dangerous interference with ongoing efforts to ensure public safety. 

DENR officials said such actions violate the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which bans littering and illegal dumping and penalizes violators with fines, community service, or imprisonment.

Following the trash slide on May 20 at the Davao City Sanitary Landfill (SLF), a suspension order was issued on May 21, a day after the incident that left two people dead, two injured, and one still missing. 

According to the DENR regional office, the order aimed to secure retrieval operations, enable geotechnical assessments, and protect workers and nearby communities.

EMB also debunked claims linking President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to the landfill suspension as false and misleading, noting the technical decision was made solely on technical and safety considerations on the landfill.

The EMB, however, presented the local government of Davao with options to manage waste responsibly. 

“These include coordination with neighboring LGUs, co‑processing arrangements with Holcim‑Geocycle, fast‑tracking the use of a new SLF, and establishing a temporary disposal area inside the current site subject to engineering interventions”, the agency bureau said. 

The EMB director reported that the Davao Sanitary Landfill could reopen as early as next week, provided that all required safety corrective actions are fully complied with and verified by the operator and local government.