The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region 11 (DENR 11) clarified on Friday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not order the suspension of garbage disposal operations in Davao City.
DENR 11, In a statement, stressed that the halt in activities at the Davao City Sanitary Landfill (SLF) was a regulatory action imposed by the agency following the May 20 trash slide incident.
The clarification came amid social media posts claiming that Marcos had directed authorities to delay the lifting of the suspension order.
DENR 11 said the suspension order was issued on May 21 to secure search and retrieval operations, facilitate geotechnical assessments, and prevent further risks to workers and nearby communities affected by the landfill collapse in Barangay New Carmen, Tugbok District.
“The suspension order will only be lifted once all required safety and engineering interventions are completed,” the agency said.
DENR stressed that the temporary suspension is intended to support retrieval efforts, evacuation activities, and public safety measures in the affected area.
The trash slide on May 20 affected approximately 3.72 hectares of the landfill site. Around 180 families were evacuated from high-risk areas, while retrieval operations continue for the remaining missing individual with the assistance of the City Engineer’s Office and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO).
Access to the landfill remains restricted to authorized personnel.
The incident blocked access roads, damaged nearby houses, left two people dead and two others injured, and resulted in one individual remaining unaccounted for.
DENR 11 Regional Executive Director lawyer Ma. Mercedes Dumagan said technical teams have been conducting daily inspections and coordination meetings with the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), City Engineer’s Office, and CDRRMO to oversee rehabilitation efforts.
“Since then, DENR technical teams have conducted daily inspections and coordination meetings with the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, City Engineer’s Office, and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to guide rehabilitation works,” Dumagan said.
She emphasized the close coordination between national and local government agencies throughout the response and recovery efforts.
“The cooperation between DENR regional offices, the Environmental Management Bureau Region 11 (EMB 11), and the City Government of Davao has been consistent and constructive. Everyone is aligned on the same goal: to restore operations safely and protect the communities around the sanitary landfill,” Dumagan added.
According to DENR, corrective measures currently being implemented include slope stabilization, drainage improvements, and additional safety protocols that must be completed before landfill operations can resume.
To address Davao City’s waste disposal needs during the suspension, the agency presented several interim options to the local government. These include coordinating temporary disposal arrangements with neighboring local government units such as Sta. Cruz and Panabo City, entering into co-processing agreements with Holcim-Geocycle for residual waste, fast-tracking the development of a new sanitary landfill, and establishing a temporary disposal area within the existing landfill site subject to necessary engineering interventions.
DENR-EMB 11 Regional Director Alnulfo Alvarez acknowledged the challenges facing the city but stressed that public safety remains the agency’s foremost concern.
“Our teams are on the ground every day with the LGU. We recognize the operational pressure the city is facing, but we cannot compromise public safety and environmental protection,” Alvarez said.
He added that local government representatives have actively participated in all technical assessments, including drone mapping, slope stability evaluations, leachate monitoring, and assessments of the proposed temporary disposal area.
DENR Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna also commended the collaboration between the agency’s regional offices and the Davao City government.
“I appreciate the steady cooperation between our regional teams and the city government of Davao. This is exactly how environmental governance should work—national and local governments moving together, guided by science and focused on protecting communities,” Cuna said.
“We will continue supporting the city until all safety requirements are met and operations can resume without putting anyone at risk,” he added.
DENR said it will validate the city’s compliance once the required engineering interventions are completed. The local government has committed to finishing the necessary works by June 9.
