MANILA MAYOR Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso started his second stint as local chief executive by placing the capital city under a state of health emergency to respond to a garbage crisis that threatens public health.
The declaration, which will take effect on July 1, is one of the first actions of Domagoso after assuming as Manila mayor, a post he reclaimed through a landslide victory during the May 2025 midterm polls.
Domagoso ordered the immediate deployment of all local government resources to ensure the safety and cleanliness of Manila. He claimed that the amount of trash in the city could increase to about 2,000 metric tons per day.
“With the situation a few weeks ago and the past days, plus today, talagang sasabog ang Maynila sa baho, sa [pagiging] eyesore, at higit sa lahat, [sa] panganib na dulot ng basura sa kalusugan ng ating mamamayan (Manila will really explode in smell, in being an eyesore and especially in terms of the danger it may bring to the health of our residents,)” the mayor said in a press conference on Monday, June 30.
“So now, I opted to declare and request the City Council tomorrow… this state of emergency, health emergency [in] the entire city of Manila.”
Domagoso announced that Leonel Waste Management Corp., which had served as Manila’s waste management partner for 25 years, would perform cleanup operations free of charge for one day. Leonel began managing garbage disposal in the city in 2009 before withdrawing its services because of unpaid expenses amounting to P561 million since May 2024.
Following Leonel’s withdrawal, former Manila mayor Sheilah “Honey” Lacuna-Pangan tapped two companies to undertake waste management, namely MetroWaste Solid Management Corp. and Philippine Ecology Systems Corp. They started to render services to the city last January.
During the campaign period, the waste problem was one of the criticisms hurled against Lacuna, who got a measly 21% of the votes as against Domagoso’s 59%
Domagoso said Manila’s debt to all three garbage management companies has ballooned to P950 million this year. He previously disclosed that he had received a letter formalizing the departure of MetroWaste and PhilEco as Manila’s garbage management contractors, also because of outstanding balances.
“Today by 2 p.m. onwards until dawn, until midnight, Manila won’t stop working on the problem,” the mayor said.
The mayor also urged Manila’s public services and engineering and public works departments, the National Disaster and Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to provide equipment and manpower to boost the cleanup efforts.
Residents were advised to keep garbage for disposal in their homes and buildings until tomorrow as smaller local governments were tasked to manage sanitation in their respective localities until services arrived.
According to Domagoso, an ordinance is also being drafted for the massive clearing of drainages.
“But for now, the garbage on top will be collected, so that if it rains, they won’t get swept along, and they can be collected immediately,” he said.
In the same press conference, Domagoso vowed to fight illegal drugs trade and robbery in the city and to look into the supposed lack of medicine in health centers.
He is expected to report on the city’s financial situation during a city hall session on Tuesday, July 1.
Domagoso launched a failed bid for the presidency in 2022, but staged a political comeback this year after beating ten candidates in the Manila mayoralty race. He first served as mayor of the capital city in 2019 after three consecutive terms as vice mayor. F – Rainer Martin Dacuycuy
