THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Environmental Management Bureau-Davao Region (DENR EMB-Davao) said it remains impartial and is promoting public participation in addressing environmental concerns, as it announced public scoping for the proposed Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Project.
In an April 4, 2026 statement, DENR EMB-Davao said that the conduct of public scoping is a preliminary step in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, which provides a platform for stakeholders, communities, and advocacy groups to identify and raise their issues.
The bureau assured that the scoping is “neither a ceremony for the approval nor rejection of the project.”
It also reiterated that the EIA is a process governed by DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2017-15, particularly Section 7, which states the purpose and requirements of public scoping.
It cited Section 7, which states that public scoping is a formal mechanism used to determine the coverage, focus, depth, and extent of the assessment to be included in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This means that the technical studies on air quality, toxic emissions, and hazardous ash raised by advocacy groups would not be predetermined; rather, they would depend on the “depth and extent” established based on inputs during the scoping.
It further stated that the proponent is required to conduct Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities with the identified stakeholders prior to the public scoping. The office said that the FGDs and IEC activities would ensure that the community has prior knowledge of the project before attending the scoping session.
Strict protocols for WTE
DENR EMB-Davao said that the public scoping is open to all, whether representatives from groups identified in Section 5.2 of DAO 2017-15, as well as the Local Government Unit (LGU), Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), People’s Organizations (POs), vulnerable sectors, and local institutions.
“The EMB-Davao remains impartial and is highly promoting public participation in handling environmental concerns and in attaining social justice. Thus, all concerned groups and residents are encouraged to join the upcoming public scoping,” DENR EMB-Davao said.
The department said that by following strict protocols and principles, it ensures that no project will move forward without a “comprehensive, transparent, and science-based review” that takes the voice of the community into full account.
DENR EMB-Davao said that it firmly practices transparent and rigorous substantive review with regard to the Clean Air Act, and that the suitability of technology is scrutinized by a multi-disciplinary Environmental Impact Assessment Review Committee (EIARC) once the EIS is submitted. Under DAO No. 2017-15, the EIA process is designed to ensure that environmental and social safeguards are addressed before any decision is made on the issuance of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).
It expressed that public opposition and technical concerns raised, such as potential toxic emissions, air pollution, and hazardous ash management, are important parts of the documentation. It said that the input gathered during the scoping will be recorded and will serve as the basis for the scoping checklist, which defines the specific studies the proponent must undertake in the EIS.
Concern over the WTE
Meanwhile, the Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (Idis) expressed its strong opposition to the project after the bureau’s announcement of public scoping, citing concerns over its alignment with waste management approaches that contribute to circular economy goals.
Idis said that the establishment of the WTE in Davao City counters the efforts of the locality in incorporating a circular economy, which is supported by the European Union-Philippines (EU-PH) partnership that prioritizes waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and resource efficiency.
“Rather than supporting better resource management, WTE risks pushing the city into ‘take-make-dispose-burn’ system, where materials are used once and then destroyed. For a city that is already investing in circular economy solutions, adopting WTE is a step backward, weakening both its environmental commitments and the long-term sustainability of its waste management system,” IDIS said.
The group cited the study of Hernandez-Romeo et al., which states that WTE incineration would lead to the destruction of material quality, such as plastics, and prevent them from being returned to the production loop.
Idis said that the circular economy aims to preserve the current capacity of the sanitary landfill in New Carmen by having systems that would transform waste into valuable resources.
The group said that in Davao City, circular economy sectors such as the informal waste sector, junk shops, and recycling companies that depend on sorted municipal solid waste, such as plastic waste, would be affected by the WTE since their current systems, resources, trade, and livelihoods would be disrupted by it.
Idis then called for the public scoping session to fully discuss the critical concerns and ensure that affected sectors are heard and accommodated.
WTE Project in Davao
The local government of Davao has been pushing for the construction of the WTE project in the city. The project would convert solid waste into energy (electricity), help address the city’s landfill and waste management crisis, and provide a long-term solution to the increasing waste generation of the city.
In April 2025, the city government said that there is a need to revisit the financial projections of the long-delayed WTE. It said that due to the extended implementation delay, the project’s financial estimates must be reviewed.
This review would involve a short feasibility reassessment focused on determining whether the project still makes financial sense and if the local government can support its funding.
Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo, chairperson of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, said on March 4, 2025, that the city is currently working with the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) to move the WTE project forward.
Ocampo said the project could be implemented either via a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme or a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Under these options, the Japanese government would fund the construction, while the Davao LGU would handle permitting and land acquisition.
Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Davao Region (DENR-Davao) announced on July 16, 2024, that the project was all ready for implementation but was still waiting for approval from the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda). RGP