FOLLOWING an investigative documentary, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued a cease and desist order on the illegal dumpsite that was found well within the ancestral domain of an Aeta community in Subic, Zambales.
During a media forum in Manila, no less than DENR Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna announced the issuance of the closure order.
“So itong dumpsite na tinutukoy ninyo, mayroon kaming cease and desist order already. In fact, two days ago, huling inspection ng ating regional office, hindi na po tinatapunan ngayon,”
Cuna did not say whether the agency would file charges against the local officials who transformed an area where a green landscape once stood.
The DENR chief however hinted at a Floridablanca-based landfill facility where local waste would be brought.
“I think they have an alternative site already in Floridablanca,” Cuna told reporters.
Interestingly, records showed that dumping operations at the Aeta ancestral domain were “suspended” as early as October 2025 and were ordered “closed” in March amid protest actions organized by local indigenous groups.
To date, the accumulated waste has yet to be fully cleared.
Meanwhile, the local government claimed that they were not aware that there was an indigenous community living near the open dumpsite.
Under Republic Act 9003 (National Solid Waste Management Act of 2001), open dumpsites are strictly prohibited.
