QUISUMBING
Start of hauling of plastics moved to today
The Mandaue City government is calling on the importers of the shredded plastic wastes from South Korea, which were dumped in a lot in Barangay Tingub, to pull out the plastic wastes as soon as possible.
The call was made after the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources confirmed that the wastes are highly hazardous.
Engineer Cindylyn Pepito of EMB-7 said that the plastics in Tingub are classified as highly hazardous under the Republic Act No. 6969 or the Anti-Toxic Substances, Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Law and the DENR Administrative Order No. 2013-22.
The law and the ordinance categorize the plastics as Type F699 wastes and are therefore highly hazardous.
The call was also made after the scheduled start of the hauling of the wastes from Tingub to the vessel at the Cebu port had been moved to today (Saturday).
The change in schedule was made after the meeting with the Mandaue City government, the Bureau of Customs Cebu (BOC-Cebu) and the shipper Neogreen at the BOC-Cebu office yesterday where they decided to auction the 2,500 metric tons of wood chips, which came in with the shredded plastic wastes.
“With regards to the (wood) chips, they will be auctioned out considering the fact that they are already seized by the Bureau of Customs. Sumabog na siya sa packaging eh (The wood chips have burst out of their packaging) so there’s no way we can bring it back to the vessel. So it’s okay, we will auction (them) out,” BOC-Cebu district collector Elvira Cruz said.
Cruz said that they will likely auction the materials to power plant companies.
Through a letter sent to Cruz, Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing expressed no opposition to the BOC’s plan of auctioning the wood chips if the move will mean lessening the nuisance caused by the trash to the city.
He said this move will not stop the city from filing appropriate charges to the parties involved in the irregularity.
“The shipping out of the plastic waste and the auction of the wood chips do not, in any way, constitute a waiver on the part of the City of Mandaue to prosecute all, and I mean all persons responsible for the importation of the waste materials,” Quisumbing said in the letter.
MV Christina arrived in Cebu last January 20 carrying a mixed garbage composed of 2,500 shredded plastics and 2,500 wood chips.
The plastics were then dumped in a private lot in Barangay Tingub in Mandaue City last January 21 while the wood chips were dumped in a warehouse in Barangay Guizo.
During their meeting yesterday, Edmund Roxas, representative of Neogreen, said that the plastics were supposed to be compacted and be converted into briquettes, a material for fuel, here in the Philippines and will be brought back to South Korea.