Dizon: Parañaque faces ‘garbage crisis’

MANILA, Philippines — Parañaque is facing a full-blown “garbage crisis,” Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said yesterday after seeing trash clogging the Redemptorist water channel in Baclaran.

Floods in surrounding communities are a tragic and frustrating consequence of improper waste disposal, Dizon stressed, saying he has never seen the region’s waterways in such a severe state.

“This is truly a garbage crisis,” Dizon said during yesterday’s inspection. “We need to deploy more equipment, including five floating backhoes paired with floating trash barges.”

In the adjacent city of Las Piñas, President Marcos renewed his call for proper waste disposal as he inspected flood control operations and visited evacuees.

“You saw pictures showing the canal completely clogged with trash that didn’t even originate from Parañaque. It came from other areas,” he said.

Marcos said the government will pursue a waste-to-energy program to address the country’s garbage problem while generating additional electricity.

Ongoing flood control efforts, including dredging, seem to be effective, but more work needs to be done, Marcos maintained.

“We have only just resumed dredging operations after a 12-year moratorium. That meant 12 years without any dredging, causing our rivers and spillways becoming increasingly shallow,” he noted.

Marcos ordered Dizon to revisit plans for the completion of the long-delayed Las Piñas spillway, which plays a crucial role in addressing Metro Manila flooding.

Following heavy rains caused by Tropical Depression Maymay and the southwest monsoon, the Philippine Red Cross is conducting rescue operations in flooded areas in Metro Manila. — Helen Flores, Rhodina Villanueva, Marc Jayson Cayabyab