The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has formally requested Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte to clarify recent waste‑dumping incidents outside its regional office in Lanang. In a June 15 letter, Regional Director Mercedes Dumagan gave the mayor five days to respond, noting that some individuals caught dumping mixed waste said they acted based on the mayor’s June 4 Facebook post identifying the compound as a temporary collection point.
The dumped waste was unsegregated and included commercial refuse — a violation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. DENR stressed that official collection points must follow the city’s approved waste management plan and national rules.
Separately, the agency filed a criminal complaint against the owner of a Mitsubishi Xpander caught on camera unloading waste at the site. It is also working with the Philippine National Police to identify other vehicles involved.
These actions come after the city’s sanitary landfill was suspended on May 22, 2026, following a May 20 trash slide that killed one person, injured two, and left two missing. The suspension ordered an end to dumping and waste picking until the site is stabilized and proven safe. DENR and the city government previously met to review how Davao is managing waste amid the closure.
