THE PRESIDENT’S solution to the waste crisis — providing garbage bins in all streets (which was previously provided by LGUs) and ensuring dumping sites — rather than the P5,000 littering penalty, makes more sense than the money-making plan of the Metro Manila Commission.
Here’s why:
Most of the trash on the roads are created by ambient people (those in sedans and SUVs who shun dirt inside their vehicles) and recyclers who are paid by residents (mostly in gated villages) who do not want to see garbage in their homes so they pay those in the ‘kalakal’ business to dump their trash elsewhere.
Partly responsible are those eating on the roads and throwing the wrappers, plastic bottles and sachets on the sidewalks instead of putting in their bags and pockets to throw in their trash bins at home.
In short, our litters are mostly those generated by lack of discipline and apathy of our people towards good manners and right conduct.
If they don’t see a trash bin on their way, they just hurl wrappers, cigarette butts, empty vape cartridges wherever they wish. LGUs used to provide such trash bins in the past, but some people, especially the poor, stole them for their own use or sell to whoever pays for them.
Apparently, the provision of bins on the roads was an extra cost that LGUs don’t want to keep shouldering.
Most sanitary landfills in Metro Manila are rendered “saturated” — beyond capacities, simply because people have stopped sorting, recycling and reusing things that are still useful and would rather free the spaces in their houses for aesthetics or for convenience.
The materials recovery facilities (MRFs) which are mandated by the law have all been forgotten or used for other purposes, especially in Metro Manila.
It’s good that our President has a broader perspective of the waste crisis while Metro Manila mayors are just concerned about raising funds through the planned P5,000 littering penalty. As to what the money raised would be used for (if not to line their pockets), is another question they have not fully explained in the draft ordinance.
The President on Wednesday rejected MMC’s plan to impose a P5,000 littering penalty for improper waste disposal, saying the government must first ensure that people have adequate facilities where they can properly throw their garbage.
He issued this statement during an inspection of the massive garbage buildup clogging waterways at the Diokno Pumping Station in Pasay City and the Baclaran River in Parañaque City, citing that enforcement must be “accompanied by a functional waste-management system.”
Citing Japan “very good system for collecting and disposing of garbage, the same thing can be done here,” Marcos said collecting and disposing of garbage—something the Philippines must also have.
“So it’s not useful to fine people for not throwing their garbage if there is no place to put their garbage. Of course people are aware that there are fines. No one wants to be fined,” Marcos told reporters.
But we also need to provide facilities where garbage can be thrown. Sometimes the problem is just that simple,” he added.
Marcos said the government must address both sides of the problem — improving waste-management facilities while ensuring that citizens properly dispose of their garbage.
The administration is also pursuing a waste-to-energy program that would process collected garbage and convert it into electricity, reducing the country’s dependence on landfills. alties for littering and improper garbage disposal, saying a proper waste management system must come first.
Marcos was alarmed by the sea of garbage in a water channel in Paranaque to the point of calling it a “garbage crisis.”
In September 2025, the Metro Manila Council passed a resolution imposing a unified P5,000 fine for littering across Metro Manila’s 16 cities.
Pateros, the lone municipality in Metro Manila, will implement a P2,500 fine, the maximum allowed for municipalities under the Local Government Code.
MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said the MMC, the policy-setting, has approved a P5,000 fine for littering in Metro Manila cities.
The MMDA also said it continues to conduct cleanup operations along the Redemptorist water channel in Parañaque, where a large amount of garbage has accumulated in the waterway.
Meanwhile, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said the city government has been working to improve its drainage system within its available resources.
“We fix our drainage within our resources. May challenges pa rin kami sa Taft Avenue at saka PGH area, some portions of Kalaw and UN. Some portions of Abad Santos and some portions of España,” Moreno said.