Environment advocates have called on concerned agencies and local government units (LGUs) to order the immediate closure of waste disposal facilities within the Manila Bay area to fully comply with the cleanup and rehabilitation of the Bay.

The Ecological Waste Coalition (EcoWaste) noted that garbage dumping still continues along Manila Bay and its major tributaries despite the enforcement of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 or Republic Act (RA) 9003.

RA 9003 prohibits the operation of open dumps since February 2004 and controlled dumps since February 2006.

The law also prohibits the establishment and operation of sanitary landfills within environmentally-critical areas such as the Manila Bay.

“While the court is mandating all concerned agencies to act and do their part to ensure the immediate cleanup of Manila Bay, we are also calling out to our government officials to stop dumping municipal and hazardous wastes in Manila Bay and immediately shut down all existing dumps within the area,” said Romy Hidalgo, head of the Task Force Dumps/Landfills of the EcoWaste Coalition.