Jonathan Frederic De Santos

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<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178079591486600. Visual[62]. copy.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A view from the rear of the Kay Anlog Sanitary Landfill in Barangay Kay Anlog, Calamba, Laguna, following rehabilitation efforts to conceal the massive accumulation of waste with layers of soil. Jennie Eliza Baysantos</span></span></span></div><p>LAGUNA — On April 10, Metro Manila experienced its worst air quality in years because of a fire at the Navotas Sanitary Landfill, 40-hectare facility left unmanaged after its operator withdrew in August 2025.</p><p>Although the Bureau of Fire Protection declared the blaze “under control” by April 12, researchers from Ateneo de Manila University cautions that landfill fires often persist underground, continuing to release harmful pollutants even after the visible fire has been put out.</p><p>A post-incident analysis by the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH) Center for Research and Innovation (ACRI) and Breathe Metro Manila showed &quot;Very Unhealthy&quot; PM2.5 levels in northern cities like Valenzuela and Caloocan reaching a dangerous 90 µg/Ncm on April 11. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/1/metro-manila-landfill-fire-leaves-locals-gasping-0820">Metro Manila landfill fire leaves locals gasping<br/></a></div><p>ACRI and Breathe Metro Manila said in their report that PM2.5 is fine particulate matter small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, triggering respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. </p><p>The report warns that standard monitoring may underestimate risks since they do not track toxic emissions like carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and the potential presence of dioxins and furans.</p><p>These dioxins and furans are  extremely persistent chemicals linked to cancer, reproductive disorders, developmental problems, and immune system suppression.</p><p>During the peak of the fire, the reach of the toxic plume extended well beyond the borders of Metro Manila, with significant detections reported as far as the provinces of Bulacan and Bataan.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/30/burning-navotas-landfill-lacks-gas-vents-required-vs-methane-buildup-denr-2016">Burning Navotas landfill lacks gas vents required vs methane buildup — DENR</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Parallel predicament in Calamba</strong></div><p>While the Navotas fire exposed the immediate dangers of landfill mismanagement, communities in Calamba, Laguna have long endured a slower and less visible version of the same crisis. </p><p>In the peripheral reaches of Calamba City in Laguna — once the city with the cleanest air in Southeast Asia in the 2023 IQAir World Air Quality Report—residents have begun to voice urgent grievances regarding the pervasive, foul stench emanating from a nearby sanitary landfill.</p><p>Private firm-run Kay Anlog Sanitary Landfill  in the middle of the Barangay Kay Anlog community started its operation in July 2018 . </p><p>Isidra Macaraig, a resident of Southville Kay Anlog, said garbage volume used to be manageable and trash was buried promptly.</p><p>“Tapos syempre noong tumagal na ng tumagal, dumarami na, ayon meron ka na talagang maamoy,” she said.</p><p>(But as time passed and more waste kept coming in, that’s when the stench became really noticeable.)</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/2/25/denr-calabarzon-halts-rizal-landfill-operations-after-deadly-trash-slide-0704">DENR-Calabarzon halts Rizal landfill operations after deadly trash slide</a></div><p>In 2022, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Environmental Management Bureau issued a cease-and-desist order on the landfill for serious violations.</p><p>Inspections found no drainage or leachate treatment system, missing monitoring reports, and the absence of the required high-density polyethylene (HDPE)  synthetic liner meant to block leaks.</p><p>That meant  toxic leachate—rainwater mixed with decomposing waste containing heavy metals, pollutants, and pathogens—could seep into the soil and contaminate groundwater, endangering both the environment and public health.</p><p>Resident Evelyn Malquitar said water quality in the area has declined while the landfill continues to pose a threat to the community. </p><p>“Wala pong harang, meron yero lang pero nakakapasok pa rin ang mga bata [sa landfill]. Kaya ang mga bata ang dudungis at syempre nakapit yung amoy sa kanila.”</p><p>(There’s no fence, just some metal sheets, but the children can still get inside the landfill. That’s why the kids end up so dirty, and the smell sticks to them.)</p><p>Barangay Kagawad Jimmy Castro said many residents have also fallen ill.</p><p>“Marami pong nagtatae, siguro po gawa na rin ng tubig.” </p><p>(Many are getting diarrhea, probably because of the water.)</p><p>Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, requires the establishment of sanitary landfills to protect public health and the environment.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Are landfills still necessary?</strong></div><p>Sanitary landfills remain the legally designated final disposal site for residual waste, because incineration is illegal.</p><p>According to Psyrus Liam Estorque, environmental management specialist of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office of Calamba, landfills must be engineered well to manage effects on the environment.</p><p>Aside from the stench, leachates could reach the water table and a landfill fire could produce smog and toxic omissions.</p><p>To Ethel Garcia — regional account manager for Clarity Movement, among the collaborators for the Breathe Metro Manila Consortium—the risks extend beyond mere odor. </p><p>The presence of hydrogen sulfide and methane that can lead to chronic illness over time.</p><p>She added a sanitary landfill, even after rehabilitation, can no longer be used again for waste disposal– or anything for that matter.</p><p>The land becomes stagnant land with no further function beyond closure as it reaches end of life, as all landfill sites eventually do.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Landfills into smarter options</strong></div><p>The repeated problems surrounding SLF have intensified discussions about alternative waste management systems in the Philippines. </p><p>Estorque pointed to the potential of Waste-to-Energy technologies such as pyrolysis and gasification, which can eliminate up to 90% of waste volume.</p><p>The ash produced can then be repurposed, meaning that in effect, nothing is left to throw away. </p><p>But Waste-to Energy also has its opponents since<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/06/10/23/green-campaigners-to-marcos-reject-proposals-on-waste-to-energy-plants"> it will still require incineration and can pollute the air</a>.</p><p>In San Pablo City, Laguna, Alterna Verde Corp.’s Sustainable Environmental Resource Re-genesis System (SERRS) stands as a Waste-to-Energy model centered on bio-methanation rather than conventional incineration methods.</p><p>This technology employs anaerobic digestion to capture bio-methane, or Renewable Natural Gas (RNG), which is subsequently harnessed to generate electricity.</p><p>This approach effectively diverts substantial waste volumes from landfills while establishing a sustainable energy source for the community. </p><p>Achieving true environmental and social progress requires a multi-pronged approach: stricter enforcement of environmental laws, meaningful community consultation during facility siting, targeted livelihood programs to support scrap collectors and other related informal occupation, and massive investment in waste reduction and circular economy strategies.</p><div><br/></div><div><em>Danica Grace Barreto and Jennie Eliza Baysantos are Development Communication students at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. The Science feature was produced under the supervision of Stanley Buenafe Gajete for DEVC 128 – Science Journalism course. </em></div>

<p>While the Navotas fire in April exposed the immediate dangers of landfill mismanagement, communities in Calamba, Laguna have long endured a slower and less visible version of the same crisis.</p>

While the Navotas fire in April exposed the immediate dangers of landfill mismanagement, communities in Calamba, Laguna have long endured a slower and less visible version of the same crisis.

The lingering risks that landfills leave long after shutdown

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The lingering risks that landfills leave long after shutdown

Danica Grace Barreto,

Jennie Eliza Baysantos

Published June 07, 2026 09:38 AM PHT

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Calamba City

Laguna

Sanitary landfill

Waste management

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