Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Francis Orcio

ABS-CBN News

<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/1768353311035viber_image_2026-01-14_07-32-36_cropped_processed_by_imagy.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Ilang-ilang Road in Barangay 174, one of the major thoroughfares in Caloocan City, showing piles of garbage stored along the roadside and in front of a subdivision. The photo was taken on the evening of January 12, 2026. Francis Orcio, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><div> </div><p>MANILA — Weeks after the Christmas and New Year holidays, some residents in parts of Caloocan said piles of uncollected garbage remain along their streets, raising concerns over sanitation, health, and local waste management.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/05/11/23/as-garbage-piles-up-coa-says-waste-management-missed-goals">COA: Waste management program &#x27;not progressively achieving its goals&#x27;</a></div><p>Along Ilang-ilang Road in Barangay 174, a major thoroughfare in North Caloocan, residents have been placing their garbage beside the road near the gate of a subdivision, where trash has allegedly been piling up since late December.</p><p>Cassie Mercado, a 43-year-old resident who has lived in the area for 28 years, said the garbage in their neighborhood had not been collected since before Christmas. </p><p>“Iyong mga basura diyan, noon pa &#x27;yan ng [December] 24 hanggang bagong taon. Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin nakukuha. Syempre ang iniisip naman namin iyong mga langaw, mga bata magkakasakit dahil sa dumi ng basura,” Mercado said.</p><p>Mercado acknowledged that some of the garbage came from residents themselves but said people felt they had little choice because of the alleged lack of regular collection and the absence of a designated drop-off point in their area.</p><p>“Ang tendency ng ibang mga residente, kaysa matambak sa harapan ng bahay nila [ang mga basura], dito nila ngayon tinatambak,” she added.</p><p>A few meters away, resident Jundy Dapin, whose house is located at the corner where garbage is dumped, said the odor has become unbearable.</p><p>“Syempre mabaho, lalo na malapit sa amin. Masakit sa ilong. Minsan nasusuka na rin dahil sa sobrang baho,” Dapin said.</p><p>“Binubuhusan na nga lang namin ng sabon kasi sobrang baho talaga,” he added. </p><p>Dapin said some residents have raised their concerns with the barangay and that he sometimes sweeps scattered trash himself to prevent it from spreading across the road. </p><p>However, local officials have yet to formally confirm whether there has been an actual disruption in garbage collection in Barangay 174. </p><p>ABS-CBN News sought comment from the barangay chairman, but he declined to give a statement, saying the matter should be addressed by the Caloocan City Environmental Management Department (CEMD), the city agency responsible for waste collection and environmental protection. </p><p>Requests for comment were also sent to CEMD and the Caloocan Public Information Office, but as of posting time, no response had been received.</p><div> </div><div><strong>SIMILAR CONCERNS IN OTHER BARANGAYS</strong></div><div><br/></div><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/1768353438873viber_image_2026-01-14_07-34-17_cropped_processed_by_imagy.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Purok La Loma Court, Barangay 178, showing heaps of garbage along the court and the road. Residents said there is no properly designated area where trash can be placed for collection by garbage trucks. Contributed photo via Francis Orcio, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>In Barangay 178, another resident who requested anonymity also reported problems, though of a different kind. </p><p>He said garbage collection in their area still happens, but the lack of a proper temporary storage area for waste before pickup has led to large piles forming along a road near a basketball court.</p><p>In a video provided to ABS-CBN News, sacks of garbage can be seen lining the roadside, stacked to more than five feet high, roughly the height of an average adult, making them impossible for passersby to miss.</p><div> </div><div><strong>POST-HOLIDAY WASTE SURGE</strong></div><div> </div><p>The situation in Caloocan comes as the EcoWaste Coalition, a civil society group that promotes sustainable waste management and environmental justice, warned that garbage volumes almost always spike after major holidays and religious events.</p><p>EcoWaste Coalition monitors waste management practices of LGUs across Metro Manila and advocates for better enforcement of the country’s solid waste management laws. </p><p>Its program manager Jove Benosa said local governments often struggle in January because waste collection is mostly outsourced to private haulers whose contracts typically end in December. </p><p>“Private haulers na halos iyong nag-ha-handle ng waste and transport sa mga local government units. December nagtatapos iyong contract ng mga service providers na ito. Dito rin nagkakaroon ng gap doon sa pagta-transition from the last year to this year,” Benosa said. </p><p>“Kaya I suppose, sa isang banda, hindi ito na-a-address ng mga LGUs na may mga nagta-transition na mga contracts. Kaya mayroong mga hindi nakokolektahan,” he added. </p><p>EcoWaste has been monitoring Caloocan and says structural issues in the city’s collection system make the area more vulnerable to garbage buildup.</p><p>“Ang nangyayari, ang waste collection nila na daily, ginagawa lang sa mga main thoroughfares, sa mga main roads. Iyong mga secondary roads, halos once a week lang ‘yan nangyayari. Kaya mas mapanganib at mas toxic [ang basura],” he said. </p><p>Benosa warned that when trash is left uncollected for long periods, residents often resort to improper disposal. </p><p>“Either tinatapon nila sa mga maling tapunan. Illegally nada-dump ‘yan, or sa mga daluyan ng tubig, which is the easiest way para hindi na makita iyong basura sa daanan. Kalimitan naitatapon din ‘yan sa mga bakanteng lote o palihim tuwing gabi na,” he added. </p><p>He added that enforcement of solid waste management laws in Caloocan is weak due to the lack of barangay and city-level waste enforcers.</p><div> </div><div><strong>HOW BIG IS THE WASTE PROBLEM?</strong></div><div> </div><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/176835356721620240428-manila-breakwater-MD-8277.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A wastepicker rummages for recyclable items along a breakwater in Manila on April 28, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News<br/></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Benosa cited MMDA data showing that Metro Manila residents generate an average of 0.71 kilograms of waste per person per day, nearly one kilo daily. </p><p>“Ang daily per capita waste generation dito sa buong Maynila ay 0.71 kilos. Halos may 0.29 na lang para maging isang buong one kilo per person per day. I-multiply mo ‘yan sa population ng city, gano’n kadami iyong volume na na-ge-generate. How much more kung holiday season?” he explained. </p><p>Using this figure, Caloocan City, with around 1.7 million people, produces about 1.2 million kilograms (1,200 tons) daily, volumes that nearly double during the holidays. </p><p>While EcoWaste is calling on LGUs to improve planning, ensure uninterrupted collection, provide proper drop-off sites, and enforce waste laws, Benosa stressed that waste management is a shared responsibility and that product manufacturers play a major role in the growing trash problem.</p><p>“May malaking responsibility iyong product manufacturers, iyong producers ng mga consumer goods na binebenta sa atin. Lahat kasi naka-plastic na. Ito na iyong nabibili sa mga tindahan,” Benosa said, referring to the widespread use of plastic and disposable packaging that continues to drive waste generation.</p><div> </div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0r1qV1dWEZQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sqDWzjrOQps?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EMUZbOeKcV4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Weeks after the Christmas and New Year holidays, some residents in parts of Caloocan say piles of uncollected garbage remain along their streets, raising concerns over sanitation, health, and local waste management.</p>

Weeks after the Christmas and New Year holidays, some residents in parts of Caloocan say piles of uncollected garbage remain along their streets, raising concerns over sanitation, health, and local waste management.

Trash after the holidays: Caloocan residents allege weeks-long garbage collection delays

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Trash after the holidays: Caloocan residents allege weeks-long garbage collection delays

Francis Orcio,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 14, 2026 09:29 AM PHT

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Post-holiday

Metro Manila

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Waste Generation

Environment

EcoWaste Coalition

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