THE SUDDEN increase in garbage fees collected from businesses in Manila has taken owners by surprise, leaving little room for adjustment.
In January, the Manila City Council passed Ordinance No. 9151, imposing a 1,200% increase in garbage disposal fees for establishments, just in time for the scheduled renewal of business permits across the capital city.
According to the ordinance, rates per quarter vary depending on business type, with prices ranging from as low as P40 up to P42,000.
Business owners expressed concern about the sudden increase and questioned the lack of communication from city officials.
Sumu Creative Space, a cafe on España Boulevard that opened in 2024, said it would consider relocating if the fees continued to rise.
According to its manager, Kath Lois, the garbage disposal fee increased from P7,000 to P8,000, then surged to P109,000 this year, affecting the business’s expansion plans.
“We had to pause everything kasi doon na-allocate lahat. Doon napunta lahat. Imagine parang nagdagdag sa expenses is around P120,000 [including business permit renewal fees] for just January,” Lois told the Varsitarian.
“We had to pause hiring. ‘Yon ‘yong pinakamalaking hirap sa salary kasi nga napunta lahat sa [garbage disposal] fee,” she added.
Lois also said they were unable to contest the increase, as doing so could affect their business permit renewal.
“Nagkaroon ng press conference with regards to that. It was not enough, it was not fulfilling. Hindi siya naging beneficial as a store owner or business owner kasi it’s just an explanation, but not a solution,” Lois said.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso signed the ordinance last year, following a directive from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to dispose of waste at the San Mateo Sanitary Landfill in Rizal.
This site replaced the Navotas Sanitary Landfill, which permanently closed on Aug. 26, 2025.
According to the Manila Department of Environment and Public Services (DEPS), the 30- to 40-kilometer distance from Manila to Rizal required additional fuel and logistics.
In a radio interview, DEPS Director Kenneth Amurao said a waste analysis characterization study conducted by the department and the MMDA in 2023 supported the fee increase.
“Ito naman hindi ginawa overnight. Sa katunayan, noong unang termino pa ng ating Mayor Isko Moreno, ito ay isa sa hinihingi lalong sa aking departamento kung paano madadagdagan ang aming income sa garbage fee collection,” Amurao said during a radio interview on Feb. 3.
Amurao added that waste generation increased from 0.607 kilograms per capita to about 1 kilogram.
For the management of Tomoro Coffee in España, however, the fee increase was not justified, as they dispose of only “two garbage bags a day.”
Manager Aaliyah Montes said the cafe was required to pay P60,000, up from about P6,000 in previous years.
“Kahit hindi naman kami may-ari nito, siyempre kahit employee kami, parang nakakagulat din na ‘yung garbage fee ay P60,000. So, parang hindi siya makatarungan din,” Montes said.
She added that management was informed of the increase only during the online renewal of their business permit.
“Wala na po kaming choice. We need to renew the permit, kasi may penalty [if not paid on time],” Montes said.
Montes said the cafe owners sought a meeting with Manila City Hall to negotiate a lower fee, but there were no updates as of press time.
On Feb. 5, 2026, educator John Barry Tayam filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking a restraining order against Ordinance No. 9151, calling the increase a “grave abuse of discretion” due to the lack of consultation with business owners.
However, on March 16, the Supreme Court rejected the plea, saying Tayam, a resident of Las Piñas, did not have legal standing to question the Manila ordinance.
Tayam also went straight to the high court early, instead of the lower courts.
The Supreme Court said Tayam’s “claims involve factual questions,” such as whether the city council published the ordinance and held public hearings, and if the new fees exceeded regulation costs, which the high tribunal said it could not settle, as it is “not a trier of facts.”
Mary Jane Hernandez, assistant chief of DEPS Solid Waste Management, said the department could only suggest to lower fees, as it is tasked with implementing the ordinance.
“We can suggest, pero as of now, mayroong freeze pa rin kasi we are still waiting for the decision of the regional trial court. I think the city council is still waiting for the result of these cases,” Hernandez said in an interview with the Varsitarian.
Fuel price hikes due to tensions in the Middle East pose another concern, John Vaugh Caoyong of the Environmental Protection Division said.
“We’re waiting kung anong magiging usapan sa pagtaas ng gasolina ngayon…bagong problema nga itong gasolina, wala pa namang changes,” Caoyong told the Varsitarian.
