Our international embarrassment

By Alex P. Vidal

“And now I’ve got to explain the smell that was in there before I went in there. Does that ever happen to you? It’s not your fault. You’ve held your breath, you just wanna get out, and now you open the door and you have to explain, ‘Oh! Listen, there’s an odor in there and I didn’t do it. It’s bad.’” — Ellen DeGeneres

AREN’T we ashamed?

If graft and corruption have brought us international humiliation, the garbage problem has brought us international embarrassment.

Our dignity as a nation has been compromised and continues to erode because of these successive crises.

If our elected officials are not accused of plunder and the malversation of public funds, they are derided and mocked for incompetence — especially for failing to repair and maintain our drainage systems or for pocketing billions in funds intended for flood control projects.

Trash has piled up and clogged drainage systems because some irresponsible residents of informal settlements have also polluted their surroundings and failed to observe proper waste disposal.

Although humiliation is worse than embarrassment because it directly attacks our core dignity and leaves a deep, lasting wound, embarrassment makes us objects of derision.

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Embarrassment can feel painful because it triggers a physical and emotional threat response driven by the fear of social judgment and rejection.

Such is the predicament the Philippines faces today following the recent spread online of videos and photos showing a sea of trash clogging drainage systems in Parañaque City, one of the 16 cities that make up Metro Manila.

Although joint clearing operations have significantly reduced the volume of garbage, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called the situation critical.

Authorities working in the Baclaran Channel reportedly cleared roughly 45 truckloads of waste — totaling 500 tons — over just a few days this month.

Trash continued to pile up overnight because of unpredictable wind currents carrying waste from Manila Bay.

As of this writing, cleanup operations remained continuous as discarded plastics blocked vital water pumps.

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The floating heap of garbage that clogged the Redemptorist Water Channel in Barangay Baclaran was described by the Palace as “truly shocking,” even as officials backed stronger local government penalties for improper waste disposal by residents and visitors.

As of Aug. 12, 2026, authorities had reported hauling 72 truckloads — about 396.6 metric tons — of waste over three days, with operations continuing using additional equipment, including floating backhoes and a trash skimmer.

Come to think of it: 500 tons of trash equals 1 million pounds of garbage, roughly the weight of 40 to 50 fully loaded municipal garbage trucks.

Exactly 1 million pounds is calculated by multiplying 500 tons by 2,000 pounds per ton. It is equivalent to about 45 large trucks if each carries an average load of 11 tons.

It is equivalent to one full day of trash generated by a city of about 200,000 people, assuming an average of 5 pounds per person per day.

It also matches approximately the amount of debris collected annually from Baltimore Harbor by the city’s famous solar-powered trash skimmer, Mr. Trash Wheel.

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Why must we worry about our garbage problem? To begin with, garbage is dangerous because it spreads serious diseases, pollutes soil and water sources, and releases toxic gases that harm human health and the environment.

According to studies, piles of trash create breeding grounds for rats, flies and mosquitoes.

Health experts have warned that these pests carry and spread dangerous diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery and malaria.

Rainwater passing through trash also reportedly creates a polluted liquid called leachate, which carries heavy metals and chemicals into groundwater supplies.

Plastics and chemicals also break down over time, releasing toxins that kill beneficial soil microbes and poison plants and crops.

Rotting organic waste in landfills also reportedly produces methane and carbon dioxide, which contribute to climate change. Burning garbage in the open releases poisonous chemicals and smoke that cause respiratory and lung problems.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, was formerly the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines. — Ed.)