188 Truckloads of Garbage From Baclaran Cleanup Show Metro Manila’s Trash Problem

(SPOT.ph) We all know Metro Manila has a trash problem, but the latest numbers are still hard to grasp: 188 truckloads of garbage have already been hauled out of the Redemptorist Water Channel in Parañaque City. It’s a staggering amount of garbage pulled from a single waterway in just three days, a situation that Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon called a full-blown “garbage crisis.”

Cleanup operations began on August 9 after a sea of floating debris clogged the water channel near Baclaran Church, bringing the water flow to a standstill. Teams spent the next three days clearing the buildup, with approximately 2,071 cubic meters or 690 metric tons removed by the evening of August 12.

“Deka-dekada na itong ganito,” Dizon said. “And ang problema, padami nang padami tayo, padami nang padami 'yung basura.”

Also read: Sofa, Refrigerator, and Other Trash Found Clogging Pumping Stations: MMDA

While the habagat brought a massive volume of water into the metro, the rains were only the trigger—the root problem was the sheer amount of trash clogging its waterways.

That problem became especially visible in Baclaran. Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez said a damaged trash flap allowed garbage from Manila Bay to enter the channel. Higher-than-normal tides in Manila Bay also slowed drainage out to sea, Olivarez said, trapping floating debris inside the channel.

Local authorities pointed to improper waste disposal as the primary cause of urban clogging. When trash is thrown into neighborhood canals or along riverbanks, storms can wash it downstream until it hits a bottleneck. In this case, that bottleneck was Baclaran.

The Baclaran Channel serves as an important drainage route for western Parañaque, carrying water runoff straight to Manila Bay. When that route is clogged, water has nowhere to go but back into surrounding streets.

“Malaki talaga ang naging epekto ng basura sa mga pagbaha natin,” MMDA General Manager Nicolas Torre III said, explaining that it causes water channels to shrink and pumping stations to malfunction. The MMDA has also pointed to accumulated plastic, styrofoam, wood, and other debris as among the materials that can obstruct waterways.

As such, officials are calling on the public to stop treating public spaces and waterways as free-for-all dumpsters.

While inspecting the buildup at Baclaran Channel and the nearby Diokno Pumping Station, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. also stressed the need for local government units to build accessible, functional waste-disposal facilities.

“So it's not useful to fine people for not throwing their garbage if there is no place to put their garbage,” Marcos said. “Of course, people are aware that there are fines. Wala naman gustong mamumultahan. Pero kailangan bigyan din natin ng facilities kung saan puwede itapon ang basura.”

For a more permanent fix, government officials are also eyeing waste-to-energy plants that turn collected garbage into electricity, with the Department of Energy (DOE) planning a 230-megawatt waste-to-energy auction. Marcos estimated that this system could begin taking shape as early as 2027.

Also read: When Will the Rain Stop in Metro Manila?