Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Eon Sanchez

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — Hundreds of truckloads of garbage clogged the Redemptorist Water Channel in Parañaque City, prompting a large-scale cleanup and inspection led by Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, with authorities warning of a worsening “garbage crisis.”</p><p>The operation, conducted jointly by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWG), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the Parañaque local government unit (LGU), involved the deployment of additional manpower and equipment to remove the massive volume of waste from the estero.</p><p>Authorities said various types of garbage—including plastics, sacks, wood, styrofoam, and other debris—have accumulated in the waterway due to Habagat. Dizon estimated that at least a hundred truckloads of waste could be collected from the site.</p><p>“Siguro minimum a hundred truckloads,” Dizon said.</p><script async="" src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Personnel from the Parañaque City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) also waded into the estero to manually retrieve waste and bring it closer to backhoes collecting the debris.</p><p>Due to the depth of the water, which reaches beyond an adult’s height in some areas, some workers no longer wore protective gear as these would be submerged.</p><p>Dizon said more resources were being mobilized to accelerate the cleanup, including the addition of five barges.</p><p>“Ang kailangan talaga dito, magdeploy tayo ng mas maraming equipment. Nagpadagdag tayo ng lima [na barge]… Para lang bumilis tayo today,” he said.</p><p>The Redemptorist Water Channel spans around one kilometer in length and about 60 meters in width, and drains into Manila Bay.</p><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/s_Vb4C3ukCM?&amp;pp=0gcJCckLAYcqIYzv&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span>Dizon expressed surprise over the sudden buildup of garbage, noting that the situation worsened rapidly.</div><p>“Nagulat kaming lahat kasi, actually, ako, kakadaan ko lang dito noong Sunday. Wala pang ganito noong Sunday. Ang kwento sakin ng CENRO Parañaque, na kahapon lang talaga ito,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/weather-traffic/2026/8/10/habagat-dumps-weeks-worth-of-rain-in-several-areas-luzon-dams-record-gains-1404">Habagat dumps weeks’ worth of rain in several areas; Luzon dams record gains</a></div><p>He attributed the accumulation to high tide conditions that carried waste into the channel.</p><p>“Noong nag-high tide kahapon, dinala lahat. So halo-halo na yung basurang ito,” he added.</p><p>According to Dizon, this is the first time such a situation has occurred in the area, highlighting what he described as a growing garbage problem.</p><p>“Talagang ako, sasabihin ko na, na garbage crisis na talaga ito,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/11/ndrrmc-19-dead-due-to-habagat-cyclones-0857">NDRRMC: 19 dead due to habagat, cyclones</a></div><p>He added that waste buildup remains a recurring challenge.</p><p>“Maglilinis tayo isang araw, the next day, puno na naman. So talagang never-ending ito e,” Dizon said.</p><p>The DPWH chief also emphasized that resources from across Metro Manila have been redirected to address the problem.</p><p>“You can just imagine: lahat ng resources natin ngayon halos sa Metro Manila ipinapadala na natin lahat dito. MMDA, DPWH, LGU kasi hindi pwedeng maiwan dito kasi kapag naiwan dito, papasok na yan sa mga estero natin and lalo tayong mahihirapan,” he said.</p><p>Dizon said the government was exploring long-term solutions such as waste-to-energy facilities.</p><p>“Ini-explore ng pangulo yung pagkakaroon ng mga waste-to-energy facilities para, kamukha ng ibang bansa, susunugin na lang natin ito lahat—pero susunugin natin nang maayos at malinis. Tingin ko, wala tayong choice e,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/10/1-700-para-aque-evacuees-remain-in-shelters-1610">1,700 Parañaque evacuees remain in shelters even as floods subside</a></div><p>Meanwhile, Parañaque CENRO department head Bernie Amurao said the incident is unprecedented in their city.</p><p>“This is the first time na nangyari sa amin ito sa Parañque. Actually, itong channel na ito, hindi po natural ito. Kumbaga handmade channel ito,” Amurao said.</p><p>He urged the public to help address the problem.</p><p>“Kami [ay] nananawagan: sana naman magtulong-tulong tayo para sa kaayusan at kalinisan ng ating bansa,” he added.</p><p>Authorities said the garbage could have come from different areas, including nearby provinces such as Cavite, Bataan, and Batangas.</p><p>“It’s a nationwide problem. It’s a nationwide crisis,” Dizon said.</p><p>The DPWH aims to complete the cleanup within the week, but officials are pushing to finish the operation within one to two days if possible.</p><div><em><strong>For more weather updates, visit the </strong></em><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/calamity-hub"><strong><em>ABS-CBN Calamity Hub.</em></strong></a></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/zptwmO3wTlk?&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/Vaz9005xGUI?&amp;pp=0gcJCckLAYcqIYzv&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/DI4eMArp0II?&amp;t=5s&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div>

<p>Hundreds of truckloads of garbage clogged the Redemptorist Water Channel in Parañaque City, prompting a large-scale cleanup and inspection led by Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, with authorities warning of a worsening “garbage crisis.”</p>

Hundreds of truckloads of garbage clogged the Redemptorist Water Channel in Parañaque City, prompting a large-scale cleanup and inspection led by Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, with authorities warning of a worsening “garbage crisis.”

‘Garbage crisis’: Cleanup intensified as trash overwhelms Redemptorist channel in Parañaque

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‘Garbage crisis’: Cleanup intensified as trash overwhelms Redemptorist channel in Parañaque

Eon Sanchez,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 11, 2026 09:47 AM PHT

Read More:

Garbage

Redemptorist Water Channel

DPWH

MMDA

Parañaque City

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