Hundreds of residents, environmental advocates and urban poor groups gathered in Smokey Mountain, Tondo, in April as part of Earth Month activities to oppose a proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerator project, raising concerns about its potential impact on health, housing and livelihoods.
The mobilization, organized by groups including the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Asia Pacific and the Manila Anti-Incinerator Alliance (MAIA), featured a silent protest and a community town hall (pulong bayan). Participants described the proposed facility as a ‘false solution’ to waste and energy challenges and linked it to broader policy debates on waste management and climate action.
‘Hindi buong matutugunan ang dambuhalang isyu sa enerhiya, klima, at kalikasan, hangga’t patuloy na pinagkakakitaan ang krisis at paghihirap ng ordinaryong mamamayan,’ said Mark Dorado of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment.
(The massive crises in energy, climate and the environment will not be fully addressed as long as the suffering of ordinary people continues to be exploited for profit.)
Community concerns: housing, livelihood and displacement
Residents said the proposed project directly affects their day-to-day lives, particularly amid ongoing uncertainty over housing and relocation.
‘Dapat tayo ang unahin, tayong mga maralita. Sana pakinggan ang panawagan naming itigil ang waste-to-energy at tiyakin ang tirahan, kabuhayan, at kalusugan,’ said Mariafe Hulipaz of Sama-Sama sa Maayos na Tahanan at Hanapbuhay (SMTH).
(We, the poor, should be prioritized. We hope our call to stop the waste-to-energy project will be heard and that our rights to housing, livelihood and health are ensured.)
‘Hindi kami papayag na aalis kami dito. Dito kami mananatili. Paano na ang aming kabuhayan at ang kinabukasan ng aming mga anak?’ said Lenie Banting of Samahan ng Magkakapitbahay sa Upper Smokey Mountain (SMUSM).
(We will not agree to leave this place. We will stay here. What will happen to our livelihood and to the future of our children?)
Smokey Mountain, a former dumpsite, is now home to an estimated 55,000 residents across several barangays, including Barangays 105, 128 and 129.
Tensions in the area have been building in recent months, with reports of demolitions and alleged displacement linked by advocacy groups to the proposed project.
‘Pagod na pagod na kami at inuubos na bago pa man magkaroon ng diskusyon at tunay na proseso. Hindi ito tama,’ said Elena Plaza, president of Nagkakaisa at Nagdadamayang Maralita Organization.
(We are exhausted, and we are being pushed out even before there can be any discussion or proper process. This is not right.)
‘Bakit parang tapos na ang desisyon kahit walang malinaw na proseso? Kami ang nawawalan ng bahay at kabuhayan,’ Hulipaz said in an earlier report.
(Why does it seem like the decision has already been made even without a clear process? We are the ones losing our homes and livelihoods.)
‘Bakit laging ang mahihirap ang inuuna at isinasakripisyo? Para kanino ba talaga ang proyektong ito?’ said Anora Madrid, vice president of Samahan ng Magkakapitbahay sa Upper Smokey Mountain.
(Why are the poor always the ones prioritized for sacrifice? Who is this project really for?)
A P26-billion project under debate
The proposed WTE facility in Smokey Mountain is estimated to cost more than P26 billion and has been positioned by proponents as part of efforts to modernize waste management, generate energy and help address flooding in Metro Manila.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. previously said the project aims to ‘turn thousands of tons of waste into clean energy, reduce flooding, create jobs, and help clean up communities.’
The project involves partnerships with private firms, including Phil. Ecology Systems Corp. (PhilEco) and Japan-based Kanadevia Corp.
However, opposition groups have raised concerns over its cost, environmental impact and implementation. They cited a 2023 feasibility study referenced in community petitions that reportedly found the project ‘not viable’ due to environmental and social risks.
Brex Arevalo of GAIA Asia Pacific raised questions about the project’s justification.
‘Ang kasalukuyang krisis sa langis ay nangyayari kasabay ng mas matagal nang mga krisis-ang mga krisis sa kalikasan, komunidad, at korupsyon. Karapat-dapat ba na gumastos nang mahigit P26 bilyon para sa plantang waste-to-energy na magdudulot ng dambuhalang dami ng abo, polusyon sa hangin, at polusyon sa Manila Bay?’ Arevalo said.
(The current oil crisis is unfolding alongside longer-standing crises-crises in the environment, communities and corruption. Is it justifiable to spend more than P26 billion on a waste-to-energy plant that will generate massive amounts of ash, air pollution and pollution in Manila Bay?)
‘Karapat-dapat ba na magtayo ng planta na konektado sa ilegal na demolisyon at panliligalig ng mga komunidad? Karapat-dapat ba na itayo ang plantang ito habang ibinabalewala ang partisipasyon ng publiko at sangkatutak na pondo ang nawawala sa flood control at imprastruktura?’
(Is it justifiable to build a plant linked to illegal demolitions and the harassment of communities? Is it justifiable to construct this plant while public participation is being disregarded and large amounts of funding are being lost to flood control and infrastructure?)
Health risks and environmental data
Concerns raised during the protest draw from research and reporting on the impacts of waste incineration.
Experts and GAIA have reported that WTE incinerators are financially costly and harmful to the environment and pose considerable health risks to neighboring communities and the general population.
‘In a typical waste-to-energy plant, the air emissions include ultra-fine particles, and these ultra-fine particles are not even required by our laws to be tested, but they can cause heart attacks, lung disease, and more,’ said Jorge Emmanuel, an adjunct professor of environmental science and engineering at Silliman University.
Emmanuel said these facilities also produce toxic ash and wastewater. Studies note that about 25% to 30% of waste processed in incinerators becomes ash, which requires disposal in specialized hazardous waste landfills-facilities that remain limited in the Philippines.
Studies have also linked dioxins, described as highly toxic pollutants, to incineration processes.
‘Dioxins, which refer to a family of 210 specific chemicals, have been found to bio-concentrate up the food chain,’ Emmanuel said.
Health effects associated with such pollutants include respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, cancers, reproductive disorders and developmental impacts on children.
A citizen-led air monitoring study cited by GAIA last year highlighted that while many residents are familiar with the smell of burning waste-the itch in their throats and the sting in their eyes-what lingers is often invisible: fine particles known as particulate matter (PM), particularly PM2.5, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.
These particles, including PM10, PM2.5 and PM1, are many times smaller than the thickness of a human hair, which measures about 50 to 70 micrometers. Because of their size, they can bypass the body’s natural defenses and reach internal organs.
‘Because it is so small, particulate matter can easily permeate every organ in the body, with disastrous consequences on human health,’ GAIA said in its study.
GAIA also documented PM2.5 levels reaching as high as 106 micrograms per cubic meter in some communities in Dumaguete, where a pyrolysis-gasification plant with no known safeguards was built beside the city’s central waste facility-about seven times higher than the World Health Organization’s guideline of 15 micrograms per cubic meter.
Waste crisis and policy gaps
The debate over WTE comes amid broader challenges in the country’s waste management system. The Philippines generates around 61,000 metric tons of waste daily, including millions of plastic items such as 163 million sachets and 48 million shopping bags each day.
Despite the existence of Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, implementation gaps remain. A Commission on Audit report found that only 39.05% of barangays were served by materials recovery facilities (MRFs) as of 2021, while only 29.25% of local government units had access to sanitary landfills.
Environmental groups said these gaps contribute to continued reliance on disposal-based systems rather than waste reduction and recycling.
‘All these illegal policies of imposing garbage fees and operating WTE incineration in Manila are not necessary if the city stops relying on direct waste hauling and disposal to landfills and prioritizes reducing waste at the source, segregation, and recycling,’ Mayang Azurin of GAIA Asia Pacific previously stated.
Legal and policy questions
Under RA 9003 and the Clean Air Act of 1999, incineration is prohibited. However, policy developments, including guidelines issued in 2016, have allowed certain WTE technologies, leading to ongoing debate over regulatory consistency.
In December 2025, House Resolution No. 592 was filed, seeking an investigation into reported demolitions in Smokey Mountain and issues related to the proposed WTE facility, citing possible violations of environmental laws and of the rights of the urban poor.
Advocates at the Earth Month protest also pointed to what they described as links between WTE promotion and both corporate and government interests.
‘The global crisis and war for dirty oil expose the impacts of our dependence on polluting systems. But solutions should not come at the expense of vulnerable communities already facing economic and climate risks,’ said Mela Llamado of Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP).
‘Any ‘modernization’ that does not include the community’s welfare is just greenwashing,’ said Alyssa Darunday of Panatang Luntian Coalition.
Calls and demands
Participants called for the suspension of the WTE project, the protection of communities from displacement and the implementation of alternative waste management approaches.
‘Ngayon pa lang sa nararanasan natin, nahihirapan na tayo. Paano pa kung matuloy ang waste-to-energy? Ang usok nito ay maaaring magdulot ng sakit,’ said Jenniclear Gamoc of Anakbayan Manila.
(Even now, with what we are experiencing, we are already struggling. What more if the waste-to-energy project pushes through? Its emissions could cause illness.)
‘Dapat bigyang prayoridad ng gobyerno ang libreng paninirahan, healthcare, edukasyon, at iba pang demokratikong karapatan ng mamamayan lalo na ngayong nasa krisis tayo,’ said Macoy Cabangon of BAYAN Manila.
(The government should prioritize free housing, health care, education and other democratic rights of the people, especially in this time of crisis.)
‘Ang tunay na makatarungang transisyon ay may pagrespeto sa karapatang pantao at pagprotekta sa kalikasan na siyang nag-uugnay sa ating lahat,’ said Kweyn Tagaduar of EcoWaste Coalition.
(A truly just transition respects human rights and protects the environment, which connects us all.)
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MAIA reiterated its demands, including upholding the incineration ban, ensuring in-city housing for residents, and addressing reports of harassment and displacement.