LAWMAKERS from Northern Mindanao on Tuesday crossed party lines in urging the House of Representatives to conduct a deeper investigation into the illegal entry and dumping of hazardous plastic garbage from South Korea in the Phividec Industrial Estate in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
The lawmakers, led by Rep. Juliette Uy of Misamis Oriental, filed House Resolution 2317 that called on the House Committee on Ecology to look into the illegal shipment of 51 container vans of garbage from South Korea.
The garbage was offloaded from the MV Affluent Ocean at the Mindanao International Container Terminal in the Phividec Industrial Estate in Tagoloan on July 21.
Uy, of the Nacionalista Party, was joined by NP Reps. Ma. Lourdes Acosta-Alba of Bukidnon, Frederick Siao of Iligan City, Jorge Almonte of Misamis Occidental, Henry Oaminal of Misamis Occidental, Rep. Rogelio Neil Roque of Bukidnon, PDP-Laban congressmen Rolando Uy of Cagayan de Oro City, Maximo Rodriguez Jr. of Cagayan de Oro City, Xavier Jesus Romualdo of Camiguin and Manuel Zubiri of the Bukidnon Paglaum Party.
Citing the Constitution, the Northern Mindanao legislators said in the resolution that the chamber needed to exercise its oversight function to protect the environment and determine the liability of Verde Soko Philippines Industrial Corp.—the consignee of the garbage shipment.
“It is incumbent on the House of Representatives to investigate how the illegal shipment of hazardous plastic garbage from South Korea was allowed entry into the Philippines by certain agencies of government when in fact we still are facing the challenge of managing our own solid waste in the country,” the lawmakers said.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said Verde Soko was not an authorized importer of recyclable materials and therefore had no import license for the same.
Another report from the environmental quality division of the DENR’s Environment Management Bureau said the shipment, aside from the declared plastics, contained 31.7 tons of trash classified as “special” or hazardous waste.
“The envisioned inquiry shall also help in coming up with the appropriate recommendations to hold parties accountable for this illegal garbage shipment, effect the immediate return of the trash to South Korea and come up with a new policy to ban the entry of foreign garbage and waste into the Philippines as our country is not a dumpsite for other countries,” the lawmakers added.
Reps. Florencio Flores, Jr. (2nd District, Bukidnon), Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo (1st District, Lanao del Norte), Abdullah Dimaporo, (2nd District, Lanao del Norte) and Peter Unabia (Misamis Oriental, 1st District) were to co-author the measure as of press time.