Personnel from the Lapu-Lapu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) continue to collect more hospital wastes floating on the surface of Mactan Channel on Jan 11, 2019. / Photo courtesy of the Lapu-Lapu City PIO
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Mandaue City Environment and and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) has ordered the Davao City Environmental Care Inc., (DCECI) to cease its operation in the city after it was found to have committed five counts of environmental laws violations when the hospital wastes it collected ended in the waters off Mactan Island.
DCECI is the hospital trash hauling firm that was contracted by most of the hospitals in Mandaue City to dispose of their medical wastes.
Last week, photos of hospital wastes floating off the seas of Lapu-lapu City made rounds in social media and in many news reports, causing alarm among Mactan’s residents and environmental groups.
The Cease and Desist Order (CDO) issued by the Mandaue Cenro affects all of DCECI’s operations including the transport, treatment, storage and disposal of the biohazard wastes from hospitals.
Mandaue City will also take legal actions against DCECI in relation to the floating hospital wastes.
“Kung sa atong ordinance, gamay ra man gyud na og penalty. That is why we will also be filing a case against DCEIC pursuant to RA 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act),” said Araceli Barlam, officer-in-charge of Mandaue Cenro.
Barlam said they served two notices of violation at the DCECI facility, located in Barangay Umapad, first on Friday, January 11, and on Saturday, January 12.
The first notice of violation pointed to the failure of DCECI to play with the city’s solid and liquid waste management ordinance.
But when the environment office’s team went back to serve the second notice of violation at the facility last Saturday, Barlam said the management of DCECI refused to acknowledge receipt of the document.
“It will not change their position in this matter. This may even make it worse,” Barlam said.
Barlam added that they have asked the management of DCECI to clean up the hospital wastes but their request was allegedly denied.
Barlam said the firm declined because cleaning up the water of Mactan “would seem like an admission of guilt.”
Mandaue Cenro will be working with the Lapu-lapu Cenro in investigating the floating medical wastes.
She said they would also set a meeting with the administration of the hospital whose wastes ended up floatin the water off Mactan to get their side on the issue./elb