Cardinal David raises accountability, possible lawsuit over Navotas landfill fire

Kalookan Bishop Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David expressed concern over the effects of the Navotas landfill fire that has affected that has affected at least three towns and raises the issue of accountability and possible filing of a lawsuit.

"The fire has burned for days. Navotas, Malabon, and Obando have suffered the smoke," Cardinal David said in a social media post.

"The Bureau of Fire Protection has identified ignited methane from decomposing waste — compounded by extreme heat — as a likely cause. No final legal finding has been made, but the evidence already on record raises grave questions about gas control, closure compliance, and who was watching," he added.

David pointed out Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which establishes a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management program.

"A sanitary landfill is not a dumpsite. Under Republic Act No. 9003, it must be properly sited, aligned with local land use plans, and built to protect environmentally sensitive areas. The law mandates liners, leachate collection and treatment, gas control systems, groundwater monitoring, and rigorous post-closure care," he said.

The prelate also said, "That is precisely why the Navotas landfill fire demands more than concern — it demands accountability."

He added that the law requires barangays to have a Materials Recovery Facility through which local government units diverts waste through recycling, composting, and reuse.

"Yet a 2023 Commission on Audit performance audit found that as of 2021, only 16,418 of 42,046 barangays — barely 39% — were actually served by MRFs. The law exists. Compliance does not," he said.

On the Navotas landfill, David pointed out that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through its line management agency, the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), is considering "criminal, civil and administrative cases against the former operator, citing an unfinished Safe Closure and Rehabilitation Plan, missing gas ventilation pipes, and a non-functioning water treatment plant."

He also named other landfills including the San Mateo landfill, the Binaliw landfill in Cebu, and the landfill in Rodriguez, Rizal.

"This is no longer a conversation about garbage management. It is about clean air, clean water, food security, public health, and the constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology," Cardinal David said.

"When a landfill poisons the air, endangers water sources, displaces aquaculture, and becomes a recurring fire and disaster risk, the public is not just entitled to answers — it is entitled to justice," he added.

He also said that a lawsuit can be filed under RA 9003 against violators.

David said that under RA 9003, "any citizen may file a civil, criminal, or administrative action against violators, negligent officials, or agencies acting inconsistently with the law — after providing 30 days’ notice. The Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases further allow citizen suits and, in urgent situations, a Temporary Environmental Protection Order." — BAP, GMA News