MANILA, Philippines—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to implement its waste-to-energy (WTE) program within 18 months, following the “sea of trash” caused by heavy monsoon rains last week.
During his inspection of the clearing and waste collection operation at the Diokno Pumping Station in Pasay City, Marcos recognized that while the program was not easy to do, the technical aspects of the technology have been finalized.
"It’s not so easy to do because we have to put the system together—we have never done it before," Marcos said.
"In terms of the technical side, that’s done... now what we are trying to do is to put the system together," he added.
The DOE told The Manila Times on Saturday that it has resumed activities for the Special Auction Round for Waste-to-Energy under the Green Energy Auction Program.
The agency raised its installation target from 230 megawatts (MW) to 400 MW and revised auction terms to encourage broader private sector investment.
“The Auction Proper is scheduled on 13 October 2026, with Winning Bidders’ projects expected to achieve Mechanical Completion by the end of 2028 and begin delivering electricity by the end 2029,” the DOE said.
