(UPDATE) MANILA, Philippines – The local government of San Mateo, Rizal disputed Manila Mayor Isko Moreno’s claim that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) had approved the dumping of his city's garbage in the town., This news data comes from:http://ub-ryi-ym-yqxt.705-888.com

Mayor Bartolome Rivera Jr. said Manila began transferring its waste to the New San Mateo Sanitary Landfill (NSMSLF) on Aug. 27, 2025 without any prior notice or consultation with his office.

“From our understanding, the landfill in our town was built only as an alternative dumping site in case the operation of the landfill in our neighboring town of Montalban would be stopped,” Rivera said.

He stressed that the NSMSLF was not designed to accommodate large volumes of waste coming from Metro Manila’s big cities.

“We fear that the capacity of our landfill will be quickly filled, traffic congestion will worsen, and the threat to the health and safety of our citizens will rise,” the mayor added.

Rivera acknowledged the MMDA’s authority in the general coordination of Metro Manila’s solid waste management but said directives must remain within constitutional limits.

A tale of two cities: San Mateo rejects Manila's trash; Rizal opens landfill to Malabon

He also noted that “existing environmental laws, aside from the Local Government Code or RA 7160, must be considered, as well as prior consultation and coordination with the affected local government.” The mayor said residents’ negative reactions showed the lack of local involvement in the planning.

“We also feel sad because we were not part of the planning in carrying out this directive,” Rivera said.

Rivera urged the MMDA to “reconsider their decision regarding dumping in our town and have formal talks and coordination.” If the plan pushes through, he said issues such as traffic rules, landfill maintenance, and safeguards for health and sanitation must be addressed “so that it will not cause problems in the future.”

Quick fix

Meanwhile, Malabon Mayor Jeannie Sandoval assured her constituents on Thursday that the local government struck a deal with the management of the sanitary landfil in Rodriguez, Rizal which allowed the city to dump its trash there after the landfill in Navotas closed down.

“I am now reassuring my constituents that there is no need to worry that we can experience possible garbage crisis in the city after the closure of the Navotas sanitary landfill where Malabon dumps its trash,” Sandoval said.

“We have anticipated its closure and we were able to find a quick solution by closing a deal with the Rodriguez sanitary landfill in Rizal and we trust our private haulers to carry out the tasks,” Sandoval told The Manila Times.

City Administrator Alexander Rosete, in a separate interview, said Malabon has its own transfer station where the garbage collected all over the city was hauled by several big trucks before its disposal into the Rizal landfill.

A tale of two cities: San Mateo rejects Manila's trash; Rizal opens landfill to Malabon

“We make it clear that the new system would not give any additional cost to the city coffers as it is part of the city government’s contract with the private haulers,” Rosete said.

The two top city officials then appealed to residents to cooperate with the local government in its clean and green program by doing their share of practicing segregation and not wantonly throwing garbage elsewhere.