Panaghiusa supports Smokey Mountain communities' calls vs. waste-to-energy project

[TAGALOG] Panaghiusa sinusuportahan ang panawagan ng mga komunidad sa Smokey Mountain laban sa waste-to-energy project

Panaghiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples’ Rights (Panaghiusa) stands in solidarity with the residents of Smokey Mountain, Barangay 128, Tondo, Manila, in their resistance to the proposed 100‑megawatt Waste‑to‑Energy (WTE) incinerator.

The destructive project, promoted by government and corporate interests, threatens to displace more than 55,000 residents of Smokey Mountain and neighboring communities, dismantle livelihoods, destroy farming and small-community enterprises, and expose families to toxic emissions that endanger public health and the environment. It disregards the spirit of the Clean Air Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which prohibit incineration and instead promote sustainable, community‑based waste management.

On August 13, 2026, Panaghiusa facilitated a community visit by Dr. Pichamon Yeophantong, a member of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights for the Asia-Pacific region, held in Smokey Mountain, Tondo, Manila This visit is part of her academic visit in the Philippines, a follow‑up to the academic mission in 2024 by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UNWGBHR, which examined the impacts of business activities on the Indigenous Peoples and marginalized communities.

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In Smokey Mountain, members of Samahang Magkakapitbahay sa Upper Smokey Mountain – KADAMAY shared how the WTE project intensifies threats to housing security, livelihoods, and health, while eroding environmental protections. Their testimonies highlight the human cost of a project that prioritizes profit over people. Communities also underscored their ongoing contributions to Metro Manila’s environmental defense through urban gardening initiatives that provide food security and green spaces, and through collective efforts to resist the cutting of around 1,000 trees in their area. These practices not only sustain livelihoods but also strengthen ecological resilience in a city already burdened by pollution and flooding. 

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In the Philippines, both urban poor and Indigenous Peoples’ communities face forcible displacement, environmental destruction, and violations of their rights when so‑called “development projects” are imposed without genuine consultation or consent. Just as the Indigenous Peoples assert their rights to ancestral lands and self-determination, the people of Smokey Mountain and its neighboring communities assert their right to remain in their homes and protect their livelihood, health, and environment against the WTE incinerator.

The communities in Smokey Mountain assert their right to live with dignity, protect their environment, and sustain their livelihoods. Panaghiusa affirms that genuine solutions to waste and flooding must uphold human rights, protect the environment, and strengthen community livelihoods. #