Geneva Cruz stood with hundreds of Smokey Mountain residents in Manila to oppose the government’s planned waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration project in the area.
Cruz, who rose to fame as part of the 1990s quartet Smokey Mountain – named after the former dumpsite – recently joined more than 500 urban poor residents during the Day of Action Against Incineration at San Pablo Apostol Parish in Tondo.
‘The people of Smokey Mountain have struggled with the impacts of poverty and environmental injustice, now facing job losses, forced evictions, and reprisals from proponents of the WTE project,’ she earlier wrote on social media.
The singer performed a medley of Smokey Mountain hits – ‘Kailan,’ ‘Paraiso’ and ‘Better World’ – inside the parish covered court on Sept. 30 as she later joined residents’ protest chants.
The P26-billion WTE facility, backed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is envisioned as a solution to the country’s waste and flooding problems. However, environmental groups and residents warn the project threatens livelihoods and health.
‘WTE incinerators generate hazardous emissions and threaten the livelihoods of wastepickers who have always been at the forefront of cleaning Manila’s waste through recycling,’ said Shey Levite of EcoWaste Coalition, a co-organizer of the event.
Fr. Allan Ferdinand Dizon, FdCC, who led the parish Mass, stressed that the displacement of families in Smokey Mountain runs counter to the dignity of the poor.
Other groups, such as 350 Pilipinas, the Philippine National Waste Workers Alliance and Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap, echoed concerns over health risks, corruption and forced evictions tied to the project.
The event concluded with the launch of the Manila Anti-Incinerator Alliance (MAIA), a new coalition of community groups pledging sustained action against the planned facility.
The groups are planning larger actions against the WTE project until the President and other relevant agencies sit down with them in meaningful consultation.
The National Environment Agency defines WTE as ‘waste treatment technologies that convert waste into energy by using heat, most commonly incineration.’ It is often criticized for its harmful air pollution.