Navotas DRRMO clarifies fire-hit landfill not owned by LGU
Published Apr 12, 2026 10:10 am
The Navotas City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (Navotas City DRRMO) clarified on Saturday, April 11, that the old Navotas Sanitary Landfill (NSLF), which caught fire on Friday night, April 10, and is now under control, is not owned by the local government.
BFP personnel are on site responding to a landfill fire in Navotas City. (Photo from Mayor John Rey Tiangco/Facebook)
It said that the NSLF was previously operated by the Phil. Ecology Systems Corporation. Its operations were halted on August 26, 2025, following the expiration of its franchise.
It added that the landfill is already closed and is located on an island approximately 2.6 kilometers from residential areas in Navotas, with no residents living on the said island.
As of Sunday, April 12, the Navotas City DRRMO said that while the fire is under control, suppression operations continue to fully extinguish the remaining flames and smoke.
During the initial phase of the operation on Friday, heavy equipment was used to conduct trenching in the affected landfill area to prevent the fire from spreading.
“Isang karaniwang pamamaraan sa pagtugon sa rubbish fire sa mga sanitary landfill. Naging prayoridad ito dahil hindi maisagawa ang reinforcement operations sa gabi gamit ang mga sasakyang pandagat dahil sa masyadong mababang lebel ng tubig-dagat (This is a standard procedure in responding to rubbish fires in sanitary landfills. It was prioritized since reinforcement operations using marine vessels could not be carried out at night due to the very low sea water level),” Navotas City DRRMO said.
On Saturday, the local government coordinated with the Philippine Air Force, which deployed two helicopters for aerial water bucket drop operations to help speed up firefighting efforts. For ground operations, a barge carrying two water tankers was deployed, while the local government and BFP-Navotas also deployed a fire pumper, fire hoses, and portable fire pumps to support suppression efforts.
Residents, nearby communities urged to wear face masks
As thick smoke continued to rise from the ongoing landfill fire and spread to parts of Metro Manila, affecting air quality, residents of Navotas and nearby areas were urged to wear face masks as a precaution.
Air quality is also continuously being monitored.
On Saturday, based on the city’s air quality monitoring sensors, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Navotas was recorded at 78 (moderate) at 12 p.m. and improved to 52 by around 6 p.m., remaining at a moderate level.
“Dahil sa direksyon ng hangin, maaaring mas maapektuhan ng usok ang mga kalapit na lugar, kaya hinihikayat ang mga residente roon na magsuot ng face mask bilang pag-iingat (Due to wind direction, nearby areas may be more affected by smoke, so residents there are being urged to wear face masks as a precaution),” Navotas DRRMO stated.
The incident is currently classified as a rubbish fire within the landfill’s waste mass, and the exact cause remains under investigation.
“Asahan po ninyo na ang Pamahalaang Lungsod ng Navotas ay patuloy na nakikipagtulungan sa mga kinauukulang ahensya upang matiyak ang kaligtasan ng ating komunidad at mga karatig-lugar (Rest assured that the City Government of Navotas continues to coordinate with concerned agencies to ensure the safety of our community and nearby areas),” it added.