A LOOMING public health crisis is unfolding in Dumaguete as results of a community-led air quality monitoring study revealed dangerously high levels of air pollution linked to the operation of the city’s pyrolysis incinerator.
In a press conference held at Bethel Guesthouse, environmental groups launched the report titled “Dangerous Particulate Matter from the Pyrolysis Incinerator at the Central MRF in Dumaguete,” which documents sustained violations of global air quality standards.
The report was presented by War on Waste (WOW) Negros Oriental, in partnership with the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC).
The data show that PM 2.5 concentrations exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) 24-hour air quality guideline in 88 percent of monitoring days.
PM 2.5 — microscopic particles from the burning of waste — are among the most dangerous air pollutants, contributing to severe asthma, lung disease, cardiovascular illness, and premature death. Exposures to PM pollution also result in coughing and difficulty breathing.
“The surrounding community has been complaining of constant coughs and fatigue — this report confirms those experiences with hard data,” said Merci Ferrer of WOW Negros Oriental.
Led by Dr. Jorge Emmanuel, a former United Nations Chief Technical Advisor on the environment, the researchers used the AirBeam3, a portable air monitoring technology provided by GAIA.
They worked with 17 community volunteers who wore the devices around their necks for nine to 10 days each between October 2024 to February 2025.
The researchers also conducted other experiments to show that the PM 2.5 was coming from the pyrolysis-gasification machine at the Central Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Candau-ay, Dumaguete City.
The pyrolysis machine has been in operation since 2022 and burns waste from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days a week.
Pyrolysis incinerators generate many other toxic pollutants, such as dioxins, heavy metals, acid gases, and semi-volatile organic compounds.
“Although we could not measure other pollutants because of the cost, in every test I conducted of pyrolysis, gasification, and other incineration technologies, these other toxic pollutants were also always present,” said Dr. Emmanuel.
Like PM 2.5, many of these pollutants from pyrolysis are invisible, odorless, and persist in the environment for many years, with health effects that may not surface until much later.
To date, the Dumaguete City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) has not released any emissions data from the pyrolysis incinerator despite the thermal waste treatment emission requirements under the Clean Air Act (Republic Act 8749).
In response, environmental and community groups have issued a unified call: the immediate shutdown of the Dumaguete pyrolysis incinerator and the full enforcement of environmental and public health laws.
Advocates emphasized the precautionary principle — that when preliminary scientific evaluation indicates there are reasonable grounds for concern regarding serious and irreversible harm, actions should be taken to stop the threat without having to wait for conclusive evidence, such as increased deaths and illnesses.
In the face of a growing health crisis, inaction is not acceptable.
Amid the danger, a viable solution to the waste problem has already been in place in parts of the city.
Five barangays in Dumaguete are actively implementing Zero Waste programs. While not perfect, these communities practice waste segregation at source, enhanced recycling, and proper organics management such as composting, resulting in high rates of waste diversion.
The environmental groups are calling on the new city administration to expand the Zero Waste program to all 30 barangays.
The organizers of the #BurnNotDumaguete campaign stress that this shift must be both equitable and sustainable.
“The health and welfare of waste workers, waste pickers, and communities must be protected by shutting down harmful technologies and expanding Zero Waste,” said Aloja Santos, president of the Dumaguete Waste Workers Association and the Philippine National Waste Workers Alliance, who also spoke at the event. (PR)