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Josiah Antonio - The Philippine Star
May 4, 2026 | 12:00am
This aerial photograph shows smoke billowing from a burning landfill near Navotas City, in Obando town, Bulacan province, on April 30, 2026.
AFP / Ted Aljibe
MANILA, Philippines — An investigation has been launched on the compliance audit on the operations of the Navotas sanitary landfill, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The DENR said an expedited technical investigation into what caused the fire was also initiated and any findings of non-compliance would be referred for appropriate enforcement action.
“We are not only responding to the smoke. We are also looking at why this happened, what standards may have been violated and what must be corrected so communities are not put at risk again,” Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said.
Cuna earlier visited the relocation site at the Obando National High School in Bulacan where 120 families took shelter after being displaced by the Navotas landfill fire on April 10.
“The President’s instruction is clear: when people are at risk, the government must be on the ground, listen to the affected families and act quickly to protect their health and safety,” Cuna said.
The DENR has intensified operations at the landfill site to suppress remaining fire hotspots and reduce smoke emissions.
Technical crews from the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) continued soil-covering, cooling and dredging activities to contain smoldering areas and prevent the fire from spreading further.
To give communities better and faster information, the DENR has deployed additional PM2.5 and PM10 monitors to expand real-time air-quality monitoring in affected areas.
The EMB-National Capital Region is also coordinating targeted sampling for dioxins, methane and other possible emissions with regional offices and technical partners.
The DENR urged residents, especially children, senior citizens and persons with respiratory or heart conditions, to use protective masks until local authorities confirm that it is safe to return home.
Cuna said the DENR’s work would continue until affected families are protected, the fire is fully addressed and the technical investigation is completed.
