Legarda urges strict enforcement of solid waste law amid floods

Senator Loren Legarda has called for the urgent and strict enforcement of environmental laws, including the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (Republic Act No. 9003), amid widespread flooding triggered by the southwest monsoon.

“We are drowning in our own waste and garbage,” Legarda said, warning that clogged waterways across Metro Manila and the rest of the country are exacerbating the effects of heavy rainfall and climate-induced disasters.

A principal author of RA 9003, Legarda pointed to poor compliance with solid waste management regulations as a major factor behind recurrent urban flooding, adding that environmental neglect and indiscipline have turned localized rain events into dangerous flash floods.

“Our waterways are clogged with garbage. This is a clear sign of non-compliance with our solid waste law,” she said. “Flooding is not just a matter of inconvenience; it puts our families, our children, our neighbors, and our kababayans’lives at risk.”

Legarda also cited the illegal construction of homes and buildings along estuaries, canals, and rivers as a compounding issue, particularly in low-lying communities hit hardest by the southwest monsoon or habagat.

“Many of the waterways, canals, estuaries, and even rivers are built with houses, buildings, and structures made of cement and asphalt,” she said. “We must restore these esteros and canals before more Filipinos suffer or lose their livelihoods, and worse, their lives.”

She argued that flooding is not merely a failure of infrastructure but also a failure in behavior, discipline, and enforcement.

“Unless these root issues are confronted, no flood control projects can fully protect us and our communities,” she added. “We have to acknowledge that this is not only an infrastructure problem but a behavioral and policy enforcement crisis.”

Legarda urged local government units (LGUs), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and national agencies to intensify estero and canal clean-up drives, particularly in flood-prone areas.

She encouraged public participation through barangay-level initiatives, proper household waste segregation, and a shift away from single-use plastics.

“Flood management is not just a government responsibility. As citizens, we also have to do our part,” she said. “Flood prevention starts at home.”

Legarda also called on the maritime sector to keep waste on board and refrain from dumping into Philippine waters.

“All boats, ships, and vessels have equal duties to our seas,” she said. “They must never dump waste into the sea as habagat currents carry garbage to coastal communities who did not cause the pollution.”

She emphasized that protecting waterways is crucial to climate adaptation and long-term disaster resilience.

“Never throw anything in the street, canal, waterway, river, or sea,” she said. “Our seas, oceans, and rivers are waters that sustain life—they are not trash bins.”

As author of the Climate Change Act of 2009 and a global advocate for nature-based solutions, Legarda recently chaired the High-Level Meeting of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), where she called for scaled-up climate financing and resilience strategies for frontline nations.

Legarda continues to champion environmental protection as vital to national development, warning that without behavioral change, even the most ambitious infrastructure projects will fail to shield Filipinos from worsening climate-related risks.