The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has given Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte five days to explain why he publicly encouraged residents to dump garbage outside the agency’s regional office, as authorities investigate a series of illegal waste disposal incidents linked to the city’s ongoing garbage crisis.
On June 15, 2026, DENR-Davao Regional Executive Director Mercedes Dumagan sought clarification from Mayor Duterte after agency personnel documented multiple cases of mixed and unsegregated waste being unloaded in front of the DENR regional office in Lanang. The agency said some of the individuals apprehended during the incidents cited the mayor’s June 4 social media post, which identified the area outside the DENR compound as a temporary waste collection point.
The DENR said the discarded materials appeared to include commercial waste and were not properly segregated, potentially violating Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. The agency has also filed a complaint against the owner of a vehicle caught on closed-circuit television unloading garbage at the site, and is coordinating with law enforcement authorities to identify other individuals involved.
“Our goal is to ensure that waste collection areas are properly designated and consistent with the city’s plan,” Dumagan said in a statement. The DENR letter was also furnished to senior officials of the department and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The controversy stems from the closure of the New Carmen Sanitary Landfill in Barangay New Carmen, Tugbok District, after a deadly trash slide on May 20. The incident buried houses near the landfill and claimed at least two lives, prompting the DENR to suspend operations while safety assessments, retrieval efforts, and engineering interventions are conducted.
According to DENR findings, the landfill had already been under close monitoring months before the tragedy. The agency previously cited the facility for operating without a discharge permit, failing effluent standards, and maintaining an inadequate leachate treatment system. These concerns led to notices of violation and technical conferences between the city government and environmental regulators before the fatal collapse occurred.
With the landfill unable to accept waste, Davao City faced mounting garbage collection problems. In response, Duterte announced additional temporary collection points, including the frontage of the DENR regional office, arguing that environmental officials should personally witness the impact of the landfill suspension on residents.
The move quickly drew criticism after piles of garbage accumulated near the government facility, prompting complaints from nearby residents about foul odors and sanitation concerns. The issue has since attracted national attention.
Malacañang earlier announced that the DILG would conduct a thorough investigation into the dumping incidents and determine whether local officials may have violated environmental regulations or committed acts of negligence. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla had ordered a deeper inquiry into the matter.
Meanwhile, the DENR said it continues to work with the Davao City government to address the waste disposal backlog. The agency recently inspected the New Carmen landfill to assess compliance with safety requirements and reported that rehabilitation measures are ongoing. DENR officials said operations will only resume once the facility is declared structurally safe and fully compliant with environmental standards. Authorities have also disclosed that a new waste disposal facility is expected to begin operations soon to help ease the city’s garbage problem while long-term solutions are implemented.
As of June 15, Duterte had yet to publicly respond to the DENR’s letter seeking an explanation for the incidents that placed the agency’s regional office at the center of Davao City’s escalating waste management dispute.
