86% of Metro Manila schools near toxic sites – US study

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June 24, 2026 | 7:45am

MANILA, Philippines — Most schools in Metro Manila are close to documented contaminated sites, according to a new multi-country study.

The study by the Washington-based Center for Global Development found that 86% of schools in the capital region are within 5 kilometers of a contaminated site.

That figure is much higher than the national rate. Across the Philippines, 1,432 of 16,022 schools in the study, or 8.9%, were within similar proximity.

But the picture changes when student population is counted. About 2.5 million students, or 27.1% of enrolled students in the Philippine dataset, attend schools within 5 kilometers of a documented contaminated site.

The researchers said the gap between the share of schools and the share of students is "driven by large schools in the National Capital Region."

The study was released in June. It matched 2.6 million schools in 17 countries with 11,301 documented toxic sites.

Across all countries covered by the study, 9.7% of schools were within 5 kilometers of a documented contaminated site.

An urban problem

The report said schools near toxic sites are mostly found in cities. Researchers described proximity to toxic sites in low- and middle-income countries as "overwhelmingly an urban phenomenon."

In major cities, schools were far more likely to be near documented contaminated sites than national averages.

Metro Manila's 86% rate was among the highest capital-city figures cited in the study.

Delhi was higher at 91.2%, while other capital-city figures included Nairobi at 71.9%, Greater Accra at 67.6%, Bogota at 55.4% and DKI Jakarta at 51.8%.

Wealthier areas more exposed

The study also found a sharp wealth gap in the Philippines. Among students in the wealthiest neighborhood quintile, 53.7% attended schools within 5 kilometers of a documented contaminated site.

Among students in the poorest quintile, the figure was 1.8%.

The paper cautioned, however, that the findings do not prove that students are being exposed to pollution or suffering health effects.

"We measure proximity, not exposure or health impacts," the researchers, led by Lee Crawfurd, wrote.

They said the estimates identify schools that may need further environmental checks, not confirmed cases of harm.

The authors also said the real figures could be higher because available databases capture only a fraction of actual contaminated sites.