House urged to probe illegal dumpsite on Aeta ancestral land in Subic

Lawmakers are urging Congress to initiate a probe into an illegal open dumpsite that has been operating for seven years within the ancestral domain of an Aeta community in Subic, Zambales. Representative Leila de Lima (Mamamayang Liberal) filed House Resolution 1250 on Thursday, July 30. The resolution directs the House Committee on Natural Resources, in conjunction with the Committee on Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples, to identify the agency that permitted the establishment and operation of the dumpsite in Sitio Tibag, Barangay Naugsol. The resolution also calls for an assessment of the site's closure and rehabilitation plan, and an examination of whether the P78 million requested by the Subic local government will be used to remove the waste from the ancestral domain or to seal it in place. According to a documentary by GMA News and Public Affairs titled "Ibinasurang Paraiso," the Subic local government established and operated the dumpsite starting in 2019. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) found the site operating in violation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act in January 2022 and ordered its closure in October 2025. A cease-and-desist order was issued on March 16, 2026, following protests from local indigenous groups. De Lima raised questions about the monitoring and compliance systems of the DENR, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, and the Subic local government. The Naugsol Aeta Farmers Association stated that seven years of unsegregated dumping have contaminated the community's primary water source and rendered unusable land relied upon by approximately 100 Aeta farming families. The inquiry will also investigate whether free and prior informed consent (FPIC) was obtained under the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPRA). This House resolution follows a similar inquiry sought by Senator Robin Padilla through Senate Resolution 513, filed in mid-July.