Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Adrian Ayalin

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/1773629467411Screen Shot 2026-03-16 at 10.50.56 AM.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Workers sort plastic waste along the street in Manila on April 22, 2024. Earth Day&#x27;s theme, &#x27;Planet vs. Plastics,&#x27; calls for widespread awareness on the health risk of plastics, rapidly phase out all single use plastics, and urgently push for a strong United Nations treaty on plastic pollution. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News<br/></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — The Supreme Court has dismissed the petition of high school teacher Barry Tayam which questioned the validity of the Manila City ordinance that supposedly increased garbage collection fees of the city government.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/5/sc-urged-to-issue-tro-junk-manila-city-s-garbage-fee-hike-1600">SC urged to issue TRO, junk Manila City&#x27;s garbage fee hike</a></div><p>In a resolution dated February 25, 2026, the en banc ruled that Tayam’s petition against Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and the City Council failed to meet the basic requirements of judicial review.</p><p>The high court said Tayam, a resident of Las Piñas, did not have legal standing to file the petition.</p><p>The SC noted Tayam, as stated in his petition, is only a “tourist” in Manila.</p><p>“Clearly, petitioner is not among the covered persons under the assailed Ordinance who may suffer any direct injury as a result of the regulation&#x27;s implementation,” the SC said in the decision .</p><p>The court also noted that the petition cannot be treated as a taxpayer’s suit which can be an exception to the standing requirement.</p><p>“By petitioner&#x27;s own admission, the assailed ordinance, which imposes garbage fees, is a form of regulation and is not a revenue or tax measure,” the SC said.</p><p>In his petition, Tayam stressed that the city ordinance which increased garbage fees by 1,200 percent, was not preceded by adequate public hearings.</p><p>He also alleged that Moreno, as well as Vice Mayor Chi Atienza and the city council, committed grave abuse of discretion..</p><p>Tayam also asked the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order until the merits of the case can be fully heard by the court.</p><p>The court, however, stressed that Tayam’s claims involve factual questions, such as whether a public hearing was conducted and that the court is not a trier of facts.</p><p>“Hence, the Court must dismiss petitions directly filed before it when they involve factual issues that must be resolved first for the case&#x27;s proper disposition,” the SC said. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong><br/><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><br/></div>

<p>The SC en banc ruled that high school teacher Barry Tayam, a resident of Las Piñas, did not have legal standing to file the petition.</p>

The SC en banc ruled that high school teacher Barry Tayam, a resident of Las Piñas, did not have legal standing to file the petition.

SC rejects petition vs Manila City’s garbage collection fee hike

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SC rejects petition vs Manila City’s garbage collection fee hike

Adrian Ayalin,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 16, 2026 10:54 AM PHT

|

Updated March 16, 2026 11:46 AM PHT

Read More:

Manila

sc

garbage

isko moreno

garbage fee

supreme court

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