The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region XI on Friday, June 5, denied claims that President Marcos ordered the suspension of operations at the Davao City Sanitary Landfill (SLF), saying the decision was made at the regional level following a deadly trash-slide incident.

The DENR described such claims linking Marcos to the suspension of garbage collection in Davao City as “false and misleading.”

According to the agency, the suspension order was issued by DENR Region XI on May 21, a day after a trash-slide incident at the landfill in Barangay New Carmen, Davao City.

The environment department said the order was necessary to secure ongoing search and retrieval operations, facilitate geotechnical assessments, and protect workers and nearby communities from further risks.

The DENR said the incident resulted in two fatalities, two injuries, and one individual who remained missing as of June 1.

DENR Davao Regional Executive Director Atty. Ma. Mercedes V. Dumagan stressed that the suspension was a technical decision made by the regional office in coordination with the local government.

“Since the suspension, our teams have been working daily with the LGU to ensure corrective measures are in place and that operations can resume safely. The President has no involvement in this matter,” she said in a statement.

She added that DENR personnel have been conducting 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 (CDRRMO) to guide rehabilitation efforts.

“The cooperation between the DENR regional offices, Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) Region XI, 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 SLF,” said Dumagan.

The DENR said the suspension order will remain in effect until all required safety and engineering interventions have been completed and verified by the agency.

To help Davao City manage its waste while landfill operations remain suspended, the agency said it has presented several alternatives to the local government.

These include temporary waste disposal arrangements with neighboring local government units such as Sta. Cruz and Panabo, co-processing arrangements with Holcim-Geocycle for residual waste, fast-tracking the use of a new sanitary landfill under development, and establishing a temporary disposal area within the existing landfill subject to engineering interventions.

The agency reported that the city government has committed to completing the required corrective measures by June 9, subject to DENR verification.

DENR-EMB Region XI Director Alnulfo M. Alvarez said the agency recognizes the operational challenges facing the city but stressed that public safety remains the top priority.

“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 said the local government personnel have participated in technical assessments, including drone mapping, slope stability checks, leachate monitoring, and the evaluation of a proposed temporary disposal area within the landfill.

180 families evacuated

Per the DENR, retrieval operations for the remaining missing individual are continuing with the assistance of the City Engineer’s Office and the CDRRMO.

Around 180 families have been evacuated from high-risk areas, while access to the landfill remains restricted to authorized personnel, it added.

Meanwhile, DENR Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna lauded the coordination between the regional offices and the Davao City government in responding to the incident.

“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.

The DENR said it will validate compliance once the local government completes the required interventions.

“We appreciate the LGU’s cooperation and the urgency with which they are acting,” Alvarez said. “Once we confirm that all safety measures are in place, we can consider lifting the Suspension Order.”