Camille Naredo

Residents clear trash from a flooded alley in Barangay Damayang Lagi, Quezon City, on August 19, 2026. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Residents clear trash from a flooded alley in Barangay Damayang Lagi, Quezon City, on August 19, 2026. Persistent rain brought by the enhanced southwest monsoon caused water levels in the San Juan River to rise, triggering a relentless cycle of flooding and carrying garbage from nearby areas directly into their neighborhood. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

HABAGAT-FLOODING-QC

Agatha Gregorio

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/178773643278320260819-habagat-flooding-tatalong-qc-JC1245.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Residents clear trash from a flooded alley in Barangay Damayang Lagi, Quezon City, on August 19, 2026. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Residents clear trash from a flooded alley in Barangay Damayang Lagi, Quezon City, on August 19, 2026. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — For Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna, it is time for the &quot;honest-to-goodness enforcement&quot; of policies on solid waste management amid the issue of floods.</p><p>Trash disposal largely affects how much solid waste contributes to flooding, Cuna added. </p><p>&quot;Proper waste disposal is the root cause of the contribution of solid waste doon sa flooding po natin. So enforcement, in fact, napag-usapan po namin nila SILG tsaka ni MMDA last week when the president called for a briefing on the situation dito sa Metro Manila regarding &#x27;yung pagbabaha po,&quot; Cuna said during the budget briefing of the DENR at the House of Representatives on Wednesday.</p><p>&quot;I think it&#x27;s high time na magkaroon po tayo ng honest-to-goodness enforcement also– not just the LGUs. Pati po kami at DILG to ensure that the different local government units, particularly the barangay, take care of their areas of jurisdiction and ensure that proper solid waste management is observed,&quot; Cuna added.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/18/why-was-flooding-so-bad-in-metro-manila-mmda-cites-extreme-rain-drainage-limits-1412">READ: Why was flooding so bad in Metro Manila? MMDA cites extreme rain, drainage limits</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/18/garbage-left-behind-as-floodwaters-subside-in-manila-1000">READ: Garbage left behind as floodwaters subside in Manila</a></div><p>Prior to this, Deputy Majority Leader Rep. Jose &quot;Bong&quot; Teves Jr. said the flooding issue is no longer a concern just for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), as it has to do with trash clogging drainage systems.</p><p>The lawmaker also grilled the DENR over alleged unused appropriations in 2025, and RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act and its effectiveness, or lack thereof.</p><p>&quot;Based sa aking data, for the year 2025, there are 2.23 billion of unused appropriation for DENR… Bakit hindi natin &#x27;to ginagamit kung sinasabi nating wala tayong pondo? At ang DENR naman ay under ang EMB na siya na ring katuwang ng National Solid Waste Commission para ayusin ito?&quot; Teves asked.</p><p>&quot;Matagal ko nang sinasabi kay Secretary Cuna na if possible, tingnan nang mabuti ang Republic Act 9003 kung ito ba talaga ay epektibo dahil every year nalang ang pinag-uusapan, basura, baha, at ang pinagtutungkulan ay ang Republic Act 9003,&quot; Teves added.</p><p>Cuna responded by mentioning the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) bill.</p><p>&quot;As you know, the WTE bill was just passed on third reading. And it&#x27;s going to the Senate for deliberation. So that&#x27;s one. And I think there&#x27;s another bill, if I&#x27;m not mistaken, filed by former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to review 9003. And I think we&#x27;ve given inputs also on that,&quot; Cuna said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>REEDUCATE PUBLIC ON DISPOSING TRASH</strong><strong><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/17877364717641787736471403.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Clean-up operations at the Redemptorist Water Channel, August 11, 2026. <em>Jessie Cruzat, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></strong></div><p>Pampanga 3rd District Representative Alyssa Michaela Gonzales, meanwhile, recommended that agencies reeducate the public on proper waste disposal and noted that some barangays are forgetting waste management.</p><p>&quot;It was evident for the past few weeks na parang nakalimutan na po ng ating barangay units &#x27;yung waste management. This is evident in Pampanga. Sarili kong distrito, talagang nakakalungkot po &#x27;yung basura,&quot; Gonzales said.</p><p>&quot;So I think it&#x27;s high time between the LGU and the DENR and other agencies to, you know, re-educate or to refresh their memories kasi sabi nga po ng ating mga kasamahan dito ay hindi lang po problema sa imprastraktura. Hindi rin po problema sa waste management kundi &#x27;yung mga tao rin po kasi. Medyo nakakalimutan na natin &#x27;yung tamang disposal,&quot; Gonzales added.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/12/marcos-says-garbage-problem-critical-eyes-waste-to-energy-plants-1318">READ: Marcos says garbage problem ‘critical’, eyes waste-to-energy plants</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/13/baclaran-waterway-cleared-after-massive-cleanup-1959">READ: Baclaran waterway cleared after massive cleanup</a></div><p>For Cuna, educational modules should be revisited to ensure the youth learn about proper solid waste management.</p><p>&quot;We actually have an existing law– RA 9512 if I&#x27;m not mistaken– the Environmental Education and Awareness Act… Kailangan kasama po sa curriculum natin in schools. But I think we need to step this up with the Department of Education para kasi po tayo, most of us here, when we were younger, we were schooling, wala po tayong masyadong awareness when it comes to the environment, which is why we&#x27;re experiencing what we are actually experiencing now,&quot; Cuna said.</p><p>&quot;Siguro we need to revisit &#x27;yung mga modules natin para sa mga bata para growing up, magiging second nature na katulad ng ibang bansa on how proper solid waste management should be conducted,&quot; Cuna added.</p><p>Section 3 of RA 9512 or the National Environmental Awareness and Education Act says environmental education should be included in the school curricula at all levels, whether public or private.</p>

<p>For Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna, it is time for the "honest-to-goodness enforcement" of policies on solid waste management amid the issue of floods.</p>

For Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna, it is time for the "honest-to-goodness enforcement" of policies on solid waste management amid the issue of floods.

DENR chief says time for 'honest-to-goodness enforcement' in solid waste management amid flooding

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DENR chief says time for 'honest-to-goodness enforcement' in solid waste management amid flooding

Agatha Gregorio,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 26, 2026 05:29 PM PHT

Read More:

flood

baha

solid waste management

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