President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday said the Navotas sanitary landfill fire must not happen again, as he vowed closer government monitoring of disposal sites, especially during the hot and dry months.
During his visit to Obando, Bulacan, Marcos said the town was heavily affected by the smoke and foul odor from the landfill fire in April, which took weeks to fully extinguish.
The President said he hoped residents were already in better condition, noting that smoke from burning garbage, particularly plastic materials, is toxic and dangerous.
“Mula ngayon talagang babantayan na natin ‘yung mga ganyang klase. Wala tayong magagawa dahil alam naman ninyo ‘pag tag-araw, talagang napaka-init. Sumisindi, lumiliyab pala nang mag-isa ‘yan eh… ganyan po ang nangyari,” Marcos said.
“Sana ay nasa mabuti na kayong kalagayan. Tapos na, patay na ‘yung apoy, at hindi na mauulit. Kaya good luck po sa inyong lahat,” he added.
Marcos said authorities found that the burning garbage pile was about two storeys deep and contained plastic waste, which made the smoke more hazardous.
He said the fire was difficult to put out because responders had to deal with the depth of the garbage and limited access to the site.
“Talagang delikado kasi ‘yung usok na ‘yan… Ang pinakadelikado pala, ngayon ko lang nalaman, ang pinakadelikado pala ‘yung usok na nanggagaling sa nasusunog na plastic,” Marcos said.
The effects of the landfill fire reportedly lasted for about 24 days in Obando, where a fatality was also recorded.
Data from the Disaster Response Operations Management, Information, and Communication Division of the Department of Social Welfare and Development showed that 14,492 families, or 45,292 individuals, from eight barangays in Obando were affected.
Of the total, 170 families, or 480 individuals, were evacuated and temporarily stayed at Obando National High School.
The government has provided more than P10.6 million worth of assistance, including food packs and face masks, to affected residents.
During the same visit, Marcos led the distribution of rice and cash aid under the “Bawat Bayan Makikinabang: Obando, Bulacan” program.
The assistance included 10 kilos of rice for vulnerable sectors funded through the Local Government Support Fund. The President also turned over P2.2 million under the Socio-Civic Projects Fund (SCPF), equivalent to P200,000 for each barangay.
Marcos also met with 55 Bagong Pilipinas Barangay Scholars, each of whom received P20,000 sourced from the same fund.