quisumbing
The city government of Mandaue is urging its constituents to be wary of any suspicious activity in their respective localities and immediately report it to the city.
Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing said this is to prevent the entry and illegal disposal of hazardous wastes in the city in the future.
Last Tuesday, tons of shredded plastic wastes were illegally dumped in a 2,000-square-meter private lot in Barangay Tingub, Mandaue City, prompting Mayor Quisumbing to instruct the Mandaue City Environment and Natural Resources Office (MCENRO) to inspect the area.
The shipment was unloaded in the area all the way from Jeju Island in South Korea.
Quisumbing said some residents in Barangay Tingub complained to him about the pungent smell emanating from the private lot.
“(I thought) this is unusual because there is no dumpsite in the area,” Quisumbing said upon receiving the complaint.
After gathering reports that the wastes came from South Korea, Quisumbing said they immediately informed the Bureau of Customs-Cebu (BOC) so they could conduct a probe on how the whopping quantity of trash gained entry into Cebu shores and up until Mandaue.
According to BOC, the vessel MV Christina carried about 5,000 metric tons of shredded plastics when it arrived in Cebu last January 20. About three-fourths of which remained unloaded from the vessel.
The city government also tapped the services of Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) in determining the effects of the waste materials to humans and the environment. The DENR-7 had already gathered a sample of the plastics to test its toxicity, said Quisumbing.
“I’m just happy that BOC and DENR made a swift action and assured us that this will not happen again,” Quisumbing told Cebu Daily News.
Yesterday, Quisumbing met with BOC to clarify a couple of irregularities surrounding the issue.
The city government and BOC agreed to have the remaining waste materials and those that were already dumped in Barangay Tingub to be shipped back to its origin port in South Korea. BOC gave the shipper and the consignee yesterday until this day to haul the plastics back to its origin.
“Considering that time is of the essence, we’ve already agreed that they will ship back the whole vessel together with the whole content back to the port of origin (as soon as possible),” said BOC-Cebu district collector Atty. Elvira Cruz.
During their meeting, Cruz apologized to Quisumbing for the inconvenience that the incident has caused to Mandaue City and the residents of Barangay Tingub and assured the mayor that they will strictly monitor all other vessels arriving in Cebu to prevent the same incident from recurring.
Meanwhile, Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-7) Director William Cuñado said they discovered during their inspection last Wednesday that the waste materials from South Korea had no clearance from the EMB central office prior to its shipment.
“Clearance is required for recyclable materials whether hazardous or nonhazardous that are imported from other countries,” Cunado told reporters in a press conference yesterday. /WITH REPORTS FROM CORRESPONDET MICHELLE PADAYHAG