APRIL 16, 2026 — Six days. That's how long the Navotas Sanitary Landfill has been on fire — and nobody can tell us when it stops.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon visited the smoldering 43-hectare site Thursday alongside Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco and Obando Mayor Ding Valeda. The Bureau of Fire Protection reported that around 80% of the landfill had already been gutted since the fire broke out last April 10, triggered by built-up methane gas from decomposing waste that reached its ignition point. And still — no definite timeline for full extinguishment.

Dizon made clear that water alone won't cut it. 

"Water will no longer be enough. What will put out the fire is soil, so it will not spread further," he said.

He is now calling on the private sector for help, with San Miguel Corporation and Prime Infra already stepping in. 

DPWH has deployed a backhoe, dredger, and two bulldozers, with more equipment on the way once a connecting road to the site is completed this weekend.

The human cost? Very real. A resident from the area captured what thousands are feeling: "Hindi kami mag-lilikas, nandito ang kabuhayan namin, eh. Amoy goma, mga sunog na kahoy at wire. Masakit na. Number one, bawal sa akin kasi may hika ako. Wala naman ako magagawa diyan. Tiis na lang. Ganun talaga." 

(We won't evacuate — our livelihood is here. It smells like burning rubber, wood, and wire. It's already painful. I especially shouldn't be here because I have asthma. But there's nothing I can do. We just have to endure it. That's just how it is.)

DENR confirmed poor air quality across Navotas, Valenzuela, Malabon, Caloocan, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Makati, and Manila. Over 300 Obando residents have already been forced to evacuate.

The thing is, Mayor Tiangco says this fire may have been entirely preventable had the landfill operator, Phil Ecology Systems Corporation, completed its required closure program after shutting down in August 2025. DENR is now studying legal action against PhilEco for allegedly failing to finish its Safe Closure and Rehabilitation Plan. 

When a closed landfill can choke an entire metropolis for nearly a week, shouldn't we be demanding far better from the people responsible for our waste? What’s your take?

(Image: Philippine News Agency)