Local officials in Davao City, including Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, could be held administratively liable after garbage was deposited outside the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Malacañang announced.
Speaking on Tuesday, Palace press officer Claire Castro relayed that Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla had committed to a “thorough investigation” into the incident. The Department of the Interior and Local Government will determine whether environmental statutes were breached and whether negligence occurred on the part of the mayor or city personnel.
Castro stressed that the inquiry remained in Remulla’s hands. “However, we do not want to preempt whatever action Secretary Remulla may take on this matter. What he assured us is that he will conduct an investigation,” she said.
The trigger for the controversy dates to Friday, when refuse was left along the sidewalk fronting the DENR-11 office in Barangay Lanang. That dumping followed remarks by Duterte, who said the city had “identified additional (garbage) collection points, including one in front of the DENR-11 office, so they can personally appreciate the volume of garbage that accumulates when an essential public service is halted indefinitely.” The New Carmen Sanitary Landfill remains shuttered, leaving the city without its primary disposal site.
Under the Local Government Code of 1991, any administrative case against Duterte must be lodged with and ruled on by the Office of the President, given Davao’s status as a highly urbanized city. Possible sanctions, Castro noted, scale with the seriousness of any wrongdoing established — from a reprimand to suspension or outright removal. The President is likewise authorized to order preventive suspension of an elective official for up to 60 days during proceedings, where evidence of guilt is strong and the official’s continued service risks tampering with witnesses or records.
The Palace had already taken aim at the city leadership a day earlier, on Monday, faulting it for what Castro characterized as a disregard for due process and the rule of law. She argued the dumping jeopardized public health and safety while flouting environmental rules, and pressed the local government to repair its landfills and restore proper waste handling.
Castro reserved pointed language for the act itself. “The illegal dumping of garbage is not only irresponsible; it is clearly an act that should not be emulated by other local government units in the country. It deserves condemnation, not applause,” she said.
She extended a broader message to local executives nationwide, reminding them that public office exists for constituents rather than personal ends. “There should be no room for negligence. Therefore, any official who disregards their constituents or neglects their duties should be investigated,” Castro said.
