By Darryl John Esguerra
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday described the garbage situation in Metro Manila as “critical” as massive volumes of waste clogged waterways, worsened flooding, and disrupted the operation of critical drainage infrastructure.
Marcos inspected ongoing clearing and waste collection operations at the Diokno Pumping Station along the Jose W. Diokno Boulevard North in Pasay City, where large amounts of garbage had accumulated.
“Just look at it. Doesn’t it look critical to you? It does to me. I wouldn’t call it a garbage crisis, but that is the problem we are facing,” Marcos told reporters when asked if he would describe the situation as a “garbage crisis.”
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, who accompanied Marcos during the inspection, described the problem as a “garbage crisis” as garbage clogged key waterways across the capital region, exacerbating flooding amid days of continuous heavy rains brought by the enhanced southwest monsoon or “habagat.”
The President said the garbage buildup was directly affecting flood-control operations, with waste entering waterways and quickly clogging pumping stations once water is allowed to flow.
“Makikita niyo talaga kung gaano kalaki ang problema ng basura (You can really see how big the garbage problem is),” Marcos said.
He said the Diokno Pumping Station had been built years ago but had never operated until it was finally put into use during last year’s typhoon season.
“Pero makita ninyo kapag hindi natin nilinis ito, barado agad ang pumping station at ganyang karami ang pumasok na basura (But you can see that if we do not clean this, the pumping station immediately gets clogged, and this is how much garbage gets in),” he said.
Marcos said much of the garbage was not from the immediate area but had been carried from Manila Bay, with high tide and floodwaters contributing to its accumulation around the pumping station.
The government is clearing garbage from incoming water before it reaches the pumping facility as part of efforts to keep critical drainage infrastructure operational.
Marcos said the situation highlights the need to address improper waste disposal alongside dredging and other flood-control measures.
The administration has been conducting dredging operations in waterways, canals, and esteros under its broader Oplan Kontra Baha, aimed at improving water flow and reducing flooding.
However, Marcos said newly cleared waterways could again become clogged if garbage continues to enter the drainage system.
He also reiterated his push for a waste-to-energy program as a longer-term solution to the country’s growing waste problem and to reduce the volume of garbage being brought to landfills.
The technical aspects of the waste-to-energy program, he said, had already been completed, while the government is working on the system for involving local government units (LGUs), determining plant locations, and purchasing electricity generated from waste.
Marcos said the government is already moving toward an auction for the electricity to be generated by waste-to-energy facilities, with results potentially seen within a year to a year-and-a-half.
“In terms of the technical side that’s done, now what we are trying to do is to put the system together. How it will be, what is the relationship of the LGUs to the waste to the energy plant, where the locations are, what group is actually going to come in,” Marcos said.
“We already have identified, like I said, we are already auctioning, maybe in couple of months, on how much energy will be sold to the Department of Energy and at what rate. So, it’s a new system that we really have to start putting in place.”
He said the government would continue addressing flooding through multiple measures, noting that solutions would vary depending on the conditions in each area.
“So patuloy lang ang ating trabaho para mabawas-bawasan ang baha hindi lang sa Metro Manila, lahat ng buong Pilipinas. Iba-iba ang sagot, hindi naman pare-pareho ang problema. Iba-iba ‘yung sagot (So we will just continue our work to reduce flooding not only in Metro Manila but throughout the Philippines. The answers are different because the problems are not the same. The solutions are different),” the President said.
After inspecting the Pasay pumping station, Marcos also visited the Baclaran River in Parañaque City, where a massive volume of garbage had accumulated. (PNA)
