SMAI clarifies Navotas landfill link

SAN MIGUEL Aerocity, Inc. (SMAI), a wholly owned subsidiary of San Miguel Holdings Corp., on Tuesday clarified it neither operates nor manages the Navotas Sanitary Landfill Facility (NSLF), which caught fire on Friday.

In a statement, it said the Phil Ecology Systems Corp. (PhilEco), which ran the landfill under a concession agreement with Navotas City, continued operating until August 2025 even after SMAI acquired the property through a court-approved expropriation in 2023.

PhilEco remained at the landfill site afterward without carrying out the safe closure and rehabilitation plan, the company noted, adding SMAI entered the area only in February 2026 to allow for a proper transition.

Citing the Environment Compliance Certificate for the NSLF and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, SMAI asserted that PhilEco remains responsible for the implementation of the facility’s safe closure and rehabilitation plan.

Amid the rubbish fire that has affected air quality in Navotas and surrounding areas, SMAI said it will continue to help contain the fire, deploying heavy equipment, barges and tankers in coordination with local authorities and other agencies. — CAT