Samahan ng Magkakapitbahay sa Upper Smokey Mountain (SMUSM) condemned the approved Waste-to-Energy (WTE) bill (House Bill 9157) in the House of Representatives, which seeks to establish a national framework for the development, regulation, and operation of facilities utilizing WTE and other waste treatment technologies.
HB 9157 was mainly pushed in plenary by House Speaker Isabela 6th district Rep. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos, son of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. who has been vocal and supported the planned WTE incinerator facility in Smokey Mountain.
“Landgrabber, human rights violator, arsonista. Ilan lamang iyan sa tatak ng administrasyong Marcos Jr. habang ipinipilit ang mga proyektong nagpapalayas at lalong nagpapahirap sa maralitang mamamayan ng Tondo,” said Anora Madrid, SMUSM vice president.
For Madrid, the bill’s passage will pave the way for the proliferation and legalization of the planned WTE incinerator facility in Smokey Mountain, despite clear prohibitions on incineration under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act and Republic Act 8749 or the Clean Air Act.
WTE incinerator faclility, a vehicle for landgrabbing and displacement
On May 19, SMUSM participated in a forum dubbed Talakayan on Waste-to-Energy (WTE) led by the Regional Basic Sectors Coordinating Council – National Capital Region as one of the key activities in its 2nd Quarter Regional Meeting held at the Parish of the Risen Christ in Tondo, Manila.
The said forum was spearheaded by the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) which aimed to provide a platform for dialogue among the 65 council members representing the 14 basic sectors of NAPC in NCR alongside their partner communities and organizations. Among the participants of the forum were SMUSM, Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance (GAIA), EcoWaste Coalition, Youth for Better Baseco, BAYAN Manila, and others.
Amid the ongoing global crisis due to the oil price shock, residents of Upper Smokey Mountain stressed that the planned WTE will only worsen the socioeconomic woes and deepening poverty endured by marginalized sectors alongside the pressing local struggles faced by Manilenyos.
The 26-billion peso 100-megawatt WTE incinerator project is being proposed by the Manila Integrated Environment Corp. (MIEC), a company majority-owned by Phil. Ecology Systems Corp. (PHILECO) of business tycoon Reghis Romero.
The said project is also backed by Manila City Mayor Francisco Moreno, along with Japan’s Kanadevia Corporation and BDO Capital which will provide a $200 million loan or a whopping P12.34 billion.
“Malinaw na ang pagtatayo ng ambisyosong WTE incinerator facility ay magsisilbing behikulo sa malawakang pagpapalayas sa mga maralitang residente ng Tondo sa patuloy na pandarambong, harassment, at pangangamkam ng lupa sa pangunguna ni Reghis Romero sa kanyang kumpanyang PHILECO at R-II Builders,” Madrid explained.
Since 2011, Madrid noted that R-II Builders has been threatening, harassing, and forcing urban poor residents to vacate their homes while claiming ownership over the land occupied by the community.
Meanwhile, R-II Builders has been a major player in the urbanization and development of Smokey Mountain through the Smokey Mountain Development and Reclamation Project (SMDRP) since 1992.
The said project has long been marred by disputes between R-II Builders and the National Housing Authority over the joint venture agreement, following issues on asset liquidation, financial settlement, and land ownership. In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of R-II Builders’ right to recover over P4 billion assets from NHA under the said agreement.
PHILECO’s dirty track record
This month, residents of Upper Smokey Mountain reported that the transporting and staging of materials in preparation for the WTE incinerator facility has already begun despite the absence of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
According to its project description, which was previously posted on the DENR-EMB website but is no longer accessible, the construction is set to begin in the first quarter of 2026, with commissioning targeted for the third quarter of 2028, and commercial operations expected in the fourth quarter of the same year.
PHILECO, known as one of the garbage collection contractors operating across Metro Manila, has long been under scrutiny for its track record of environmental degradation and non-compliance.
On April 10, a fire broke out at the Navotas Sanitary Landfill, a facility previously operated by PHILECO before its closure in 2025. This fire rapidly escalated and burned for weeks, affecting a significant portion of the landfill and producing heavy smoke that blanketed parts of NCR and nearby provinces.
Since 2022, the Environmental Management Bureau in Metro Manila has already issued 10 notices of violation against PHILECO, particularly on violations related to the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, and its environmental compliance certificate. In 2017, DENR also suspended the company’s operation in Vitas Marine Loading Station for disposing of untreated leachate from compacted solid waste into Manila Bay.
The Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance (GAIA) noted that the Navotas landfill fire should serve as a warning against allowing the same corporate actors and waste management logic in pushing marginalized sectors in Smokey Mountain and other marginalized communities to further poverty.
“The local and international evidence is resoundingly clear that WTE incineration makes the poor poorer and drives cities into debt. What will happen to the tens of thousands of waste workers in Manila if all of the waste is used to feed the WTE facility? The mere 420 jobs promised by MIEC to run the plant will do almost nothing to help the community, which will certainly bear the brunt of toxic pollution. We are already deep into an oil, energy, and debt crisis. Why sink us deeper into it?” said Brex Arevalo of GAIA Asia Pacific.
Environmental group Greenpeace also emphasized that their opposition to the WTE incinerator facility must not be misconstrued as opposition to the promotion of sustainable and renewable energy as it should put premium on the protection of urban poor communities vulnerable to displacement and environmental harm.
“Solutions must be humane and rooted in the real needs and rights of affected communities. Reuse systems and renewable energy can help, and real renewable energy does not burn waste, depend on plastic, or endanger communities,” said Eunille Santos of Greenpeace.
Bagong Ayansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Manila further demanded accountability from the Marcos Jr. administration as the chief architect of corruption and principal promoter of the WTE incinerator facility in Smokey Mountain.
“Dapat singilin at panagutin ang administrasyong Marcos Jr. gayundin ang iba pang kasapakat nitong pulitiko na magpahanggang sa kasalukuyan ay hindi pa rin napapanagot sa maanomalya at batbat ng korupsyon na flood control at reclamation projects,” said BAYAN Manila coordinator Julia Barquin.
Poorest de Mayo
On May 23, various urban poor residents, workers, and youth groups will conduct a small procession dubbed Poorest de Mayo, coined from Flores de Mayo.
The groups will march along Plaza Morga to Sto. Niño de Tondo Church, symbolizing the true spirit of Santacruzan not through lavish parades but through highlighting the worsening socioeconomic crisis brought about by the global oil price shock and the deepening poverty experienced by marginalized sectors, alongside the pressing local struggles faced by Manilenyos.
“As Pope Leo XIV said, “Search always for peace and reject war.” It is timely to hold a Santacruzan this Flores de Mayo to symbolize the search for the True Cross borne and crucified upon by Jesus Christ, as well as the various titles of the Virgin Mary, especially in these times marked by severe economic crisis and the threat of escalating wars around the world,” said BAYAN Manila coordinator Angela Camille Gando.
