Navotas landfill fire now extinguished — Marcos

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday announced that the massive fire that hit the Navotas sanitary landfill last month has finally been extinguished.

Marcos credited the continuous efforts of government responders and the assistance extended by the private sector.

“Tuluyan nang naapula ang sunog sa Navotas landfill,” Marcos said in a statement.

(The fire at the Navotas landfill has been completely extinguished.)

He said firefighters, local government units, environmental teams, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Transportation, and other government agencies worked nonstop in recent weeks to prevent the situation from worsening.

He also thanked private sector partners, including San Miguel Corporation, Prime Infra, and SM Prime, which also helped ensure the safety of residents living near the affected communities.

The announcement came exactly a month after the fire was first reported on the evening of April 10.

The landfill has been non-operational since August last year after its franchise expired. However, the Navotas local government earlier said it does not own the landfill.

The fire caused a thick haze that affected parts of Metro Manila and nearby areas, including Obando, Bulacan.

Marcos also thanked the Japanese government for providing technical assistance in extinguishing the fire.

“Ngunit hindi dito nagtatapos ang ating trabaho. Inatasan ko na ang mga kinauukulang ahensya na ipagpatuloy ang 24/7 monitoring sa lugar kabilang ang air at water quality testing, thermal scanning upang matiyak na wala nang natitirang hotspots, at health monitoring para sa mga residenteng naapektuhan at sa ating mga responders,” the President said.

(But our work does not end here. I have directed concerned agencies to continue 24/7 monitoring in the area, including air and water quality testing, thermal scanning to ensure that no hotspots remain, and health monitoring for affected residents and responders.)

Earlier, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said it was coordinating with the Office of the Solicitor General on possible legal action against those who may be held liable for the landfill fire.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government, meanwhile, said it is still studying who should be held accountable for the incident.—MCG, GMA News