MANILA, Philippines — Most schools in Metro Manila are close to documented contaminated sites, according to a new multi-country study.
The study by the Washington-based Center for Global Development found that 86% of schools in the capital region are within 5 kilometers of a contaminated site.
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That figure is much higher than the national rate. Across the Philippines, 1,432 of 16,022 schools in the study, or 8.9%, were within similar proximity.
But the picture changes when student population is counted. About 2.5 million students, or 27.1% of enrolled students in the Philippine dataset, attend schools within 5 kilometers of a documented contaminated site.
The researchers said the gap between the share of schools and the share of students is "driven by large schools in the National Capital Region."
The study was released in June. It matched 2.6 million schools in 17 countries with 11,301 documented toxic sites.
Across all countries covered by the study, 9.7% of schools were within 5 kilometers of a documented contaminated site.
School proximity to documented contaminated sites
By country: capital city, urban and rural | Center for Global Development study, June 2026