EcoWaste Coalition denounces WtE push during SONA 2026, urges PBBM to uphold RA 9003

 

28 July 2026, Quezon City. Following President Bongbong Marcos’ (PBBM) endorsement of waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies during his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), the EcoWaste Coalition (EWC) strongly reiterated its call for the genuine, stricter enforcement of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003), in lieu of the adoption of incineration technologies to address the waste crisis in the country.   

“Sa kabila ng mga ginagawa nating ito, kailangan pa rin nating iwasto ang ating pamamaraan sa pagtapon ng basura,” PBBM highlighted in his speech. According to him, this entailed updating the 25-year-old RA 9003 by “aligning it with modern waste management practices, such as waste-to-energy and waste treatment technology”—a statement which garnered an alarming applause from lawmakers and attendees of the SONA.

The promotion of WtE technologies, however, deserves no fanfare especially considering the grave repercussions it has on both the community and the environment. 

Environmental groups have time and again pointed out how WtE raises a number of human rights concerns given the severity of toxic pollutants it releases. For one, WtE threatens the right to clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as well as the right to life due to the adverse environmental impacts caused by its emissions, which then could lead to serious health risks such as cancer, respiratory complications, and even premature mortality upon prolonged exposure.  

Among these groups is Davao-based Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) which, in their statement, strongly condemned the administration's proposal to amend RA 9003 to accommodate WtE incineration. IDIS Executive Director and EWC Vice President Atty. Mark Peñalver argued, “This false solution undermines the very principles of sustainable waste management. Waste-to-Energy depends on a constant stream of waste for burning, discourages waste reduction and recycling, threatens public health and the environment, and runs counter to the country's commitment under the Clean Air Act.”

WtE incineration not only goes against pertinent environmental laws, but also the country’s commitment to combat climate change under the Paris Agreement. In addition to harmful pollutants, WtEs are known to release a significant amount of greenhouse gases and heat emissions, and will only increasingly do so since such technologies rely on continued plastic production, further exacerbating the effects of climate change in the process.   

For Marji Ho, community champion from Brgy. Guba in Cebu City, rather than WtE technologies, there is a need to prioritize waste solutions that actually reduce pollution and protect future generations without creating new environmental concerns. Marji knew firsthand how WtE can threaten the health and safety of the community when, just last year, she stood alongside other environmental defenders against the proposed incineration project in the area. 

“Progress loses its meaning when it asks us to trade the breath of our children for convenience, the purity of our water for promises, and the beauty of our forests for short-term gain. No development is truly sustainable if it costs the health of the people and the future of the generations yet to come,” she expressed in her statement.

Indeed, the introduction of WtE facilities to solid waste management systems will take its toll on all sectors and future generations, including the waste sector. While constant exposure to dioxins and toxic pollutants poses serious health risks to workers within WtE plants, informal waste workers and recyclers will, on the other hand, be deprived of their livelihoods with the emergence of incineration facilities. 

Mintal Resource Collectors' Association (MIRCA), a waste worker-led group in Davao City, was quick to voice out their opposition against the State’s move towards technologies that threaten their health and livelihoods. 

“Hinuon, atong palig-onon ang implementasyon sa RA 9003, suportahan ang mga komunidad, ang mga resource collectors, ug ang mga polisiya nga naghatag og bili sa pag-segregate, pag-reuse, ug pag-recycle sa basura. Kay ang  tinuod nga malungtarong solusyon nagsugod sa komunidad, dili sa pagsunog og basura,” MIRCA proposed as a more suitable alternative. (Instead, let us strengthen the implementation of RA 9003, support communities, resource collectors, and policies that value waste segregation, reuse, and recycling. Because the real sustainable solution starts with the community, not with incineration.)

“RA 9003 should be strengthened and updated to institutionalize and scale up Circular Economy measures, providing greater support for local government implementation, expanding investments in resource recovery and composting, and accelerating the country's transition toward a truly circular, zero-waste economy,” said Atty. Peñalver.  

"Burning trash—the evidence of ineffective enforcement of RA 9003—will not solve the waste and pollution crisis besetting our nation. Instead of being fixated on rescinding the incineration ban and erecting waste-to-energy incinerators, the government must urgently fix the policy gaps that have led to the dire situation," said Aileen Lucero, EWC National Coordinator. "We need strengthened policies that prevent and reduce wastes and pollutants, including banning single-use plastics and other non-environmentally-acceptable packaging and products, keeping biodegradables and recyclables out of landfills, and incentivizing community-centered zero waste, climate-friendly and socially just solutions."

Over false and inhumane solutions like WtE, the Coalition persistently calls on the government to forward environmentally sustainable and pro-people alternatives to addressing the waste problem. Efforts to attain a waste-free environment and a green economy should be parallel with the just transition framework, while being inclusive and equitable towards affected workers and communities.