Groups raise concerns over P26-B Smokey Mountain waste-to-energy project

Environmental groups have raised concerns over a proposed P26-billion waste-to-energy (WTE) project in Smokey Mountain in Tondo, Manila, warning that it could worsen poverty and place vulnerable communities at greater risk.

The concerns were raised during a dialogue organized by the National Anti-Poverty Commission, where participants strongly opposed the planned 100-megawatt waste-to-energy incineration facility.

Critics questioned project proponent Philippine Ecology Systems Corp. (PhilEco), citing alleged environmental violations and the company’s supposed failure to address issues related to the Navotas landfill fire.

In a statement, the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives–Asia Pacific (GAIA Asia Pacific) warned that the project could have serious economic and social consequences for nearby communities.

“Local and international evidence is resoundingly clear that WtE incineration makes the poor poorer and drives cities into debt. What will happen to the tens of thousands of waste workers in Manila if all of the waste is used to feed the WtE facility?” said Brex Arevalo of GAIA Asia Pacific in a press release.

The group also cited 10 notices of violation allegedly issued by the Environmental Management Bureau against the company since 2022.

Planned for Smokey Mountain, the proposed facility would burn waste and convert it into electricity.

First proposed in 2025, the P26.648-billion project is expected to process 3,000 tons of solid waste daily for power generation.

GMA News Online has reached out to PhilEco for comment and will publish their response once available.

Mayang Azurin, also of GAIA Asia Pacific, said the project appears inconsistent with Proclamation No. 39, signed by former President Fidel V. Ramos in 1992, which reserved portions of land in Tondo for housing and commercial or industrial development.

Azurin also raised concerns over what she described as ongoing forced evictions and illegal site preparations despite the absence of a required environmental impact assessment and environmental compliance certificate.

For its part, the EcoWaste Coalition said the issue reflects broader concerns about the project, while Greenpeace argued that waste-to-energy incineration is not a viable solution to the country’s waste crisis.

“Solutions must be humane and rooted in the real needs and rights of affected communities. Reuse systems and renewable energy can help, and real renewable energy does not burn waste, depend on plastic, or endanger communities,” said Eunille Santos of Greenpeace.

Community leaders in Smokey Mountain also called on authorities to halt the project.—MCG, GMA News