APRIL 22, 2026 — The Navotas landfill fire has ballooned into one of Metro Manila’s worst environmental disasters in years — scorching over 28 hectares, choking the air across seven cities, and forcing families to flee their homes. The blaze, now in its second week, is still smoldering beneath layers of garbage, with toxic smoke drifting as far as Bulacan and Bataan.

Satellite data from the Philippine Space Agency shows 71.5% of the 40-hectare landfill has burned — an area nearly half the size of Rizal Park. The fire, believed to have been fueled by methane pockets, has been contained within the site but refuses to die out. 

Thick smoke has blanketed northern Metro Manila, with Marikina and Valenzuela recording “acutely unhealthy” air and Caloocan, Malabon, and Quezon City logging “very unhealthy” levels.

Residents are paying the price. Evacuees in Obando, Bulacan have reported coughs, fevers, and even asthma attacks. 

“Napakabigat … sana naman ‘yung nangangasiwa ng dumpsite matugunan agad ‘yun para makauwi na kami,” said Florentina Garcia, one of the displaced. 

(The air is very heavy … I hope those managing the dumpsite can address this soon so we can return home.)

The landfill’s messy history adds fuel to the outrage. Operated for two decades by Phil Ecology Systems Corp., the site was acquired by San Miguel Aerocity Inc. in 2023. But after PhilEco’s contract expired in August 2025, closure and rehabilitation were left unfinished. Now, both companies are distancing themselves from responsibility while residents choke on toxic gases.

Environmental groups warn this isn’t just about PM2.5. Burning plastics may be releasing dioxins and furans — highly toxic compounds linked to cancer and reproductive harm.

This fire is more than a local incident — it’s a wake-up call. Everyone is essentially breathing poison, yet accountability remains hazy.

Do we really have to keep paying the price for disasters born out of neglect?

(Image: Philippine Space Agency | Facebook)