MANILA, Philippines - Senators Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda criticized yesterday the inter-agency task force, which gave the go-signal to dump 104 container vans of wastes in the Philippines from Canada.
At a hearing of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, Legarda and Escudero questioned the decision of the task force that a llowed the entry and dumping of wastes in the country.
The task force is composed of representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Bureau of Customs (BOC).
Twenty-six containers were also dumped at a sanitary landfill in Tarlac, stirring protests from local officials and residents.
Escudero, who presided over the hearing, said the three agencies should submit a comprehensive report so that the government can make recommendations and “strengthen its stance on the toxic issue.”
He directed the committee to conduct a thorough waste analysis of the garbage to find out if the illegal cargo carried toxic and hazardous substances.
He urged the government to exhaust all measures to ensure that the wastes go back to Canada.
Both Escudero and Legarda took the position that Canada takes back the container vans of wastes dumped in the Philippines.
“This is a matter of national shame and pride. We must stand up and clean our backyard,” Escudero said.
During the hearing, DFA Assistant Secretary Jesus Domingo reported that the inter-agency committee decided in August 2014 that the wastes be dumped in the country.
Environment Assistant Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna maintained that a DENR agency wanted the 104 container vans returned to Canada but the task force overtook its stand.
The two senators, however, lashed out the government executives for failure to invoke the country’s local laws and the Basel Convention Treaty to force Canada to take back the wastes.
Ecowaste Coalition representatives told the Senate panel that the matter should not be delved on whether or not the wastes contained toxic and hazardous substances.
The international treaty bans the dumping of wastes, in general, with no need to classify whether they are toxic and hazardous.
At the height of the controversy, the DFA sent a diplomatic note to Canada asking its government’s assistance in the “expeditious return of containers to the port of origin at no cost to the government.”
Escudero lamented how the DFA seemingly treated Canada with kid gloves.
Legarda said Canada is a signatory to the Basel Convention, an international treaty that bans the export of waste.
“As part of their commitment to the Convention, they should take back their wastes. The DFA and the DENR should maintain their firm stand on the return of the wastes to Canada, and either the government or the private firm should fund it,” she said. – Christina Mendez, Rhodina Villanueva