CEBU, Philippines — The Davao City Environmental Care, Inc. (DCECI) has denied owning the medical wastes dumped on the vacant lot near the Butuanon River at Sitio Tambis, Barangay Umapad, Mandaue City.
“First and foremost, we do not unload the contracted wastes from the hospitals outside of our plant. We only transport, store and dispose of the contracted hospital wastes inside our plant where it will undergo proper treatment,” read the one-page letter the Office of the Mandaue Mayor and the Environment and Natural Resources Office received yesterday.
The letter was in response to the order issued on January 15 that was signed by CCENRO OIC Araceli Barlam and lawyer Mae Elaine Bathan for the firm to conduct an immediate cleanup operation.
The DCECI denied the claims of CCENRO that it was dumping its wastes in Sitio Tambis.
It said that CCENRO has no proof that would substantiate such claim.
“Your CCENRO has already condemned us even before we could answer and explain the notices of violations. Due process demands that we should be given first the opportunity to answer the accusations before your CCENRO would threaten us to sue,” read the letter.
The DCECI added the investigation into the hospital wastes found floating off the shores of Barangay Ibo, Lapu-Lapu City is yet to be determined by the EMB-7.
During the inspection, DCECI alleged that the wastes found on the vacant lot near its facility belong to a group of scavengers.
“The wastes that your personnel found on the vacant lot during their inspection belong to a group of scavengers who clean and dry the recyclables and reusables they gather from their sources on this vacant lot along the Butuanon River,” the letter read.
The firm manifested, however, that it is willing to cooperate and will assist the city in requesting the scavengers to clean up the vacant lot.
Suspend
Meanwhile, the Environmental Management Bureau-7 will be recommending for the suspension of the Treatment, Storage, and Disposal (TSD) Registration of DCECI.
This, after DENR-7 Executive Director Gilbert Gonzales and EMB-7 Director William Cuñado personally inspected the company’s reported hazardous waste treater in Barangay Umapad.
In a statement, the EMB-7 said that during the evaluation, Gonzales and Cuñado have verified that DCECI must upgrade their technology to be able to cater to clients.
Cuñado said they will recommend to their Central Office the suspension of the said hazardous waste treater’s TSD Registration.
The TSD Registration is given to a facility that has fully satisfied the necessary requirements to operate such establishment.
This registration emphasizes the capability of such facility to ensure the sound treatment and safe disposal of hazardous waste.
The registration also implies the responsibility of the treatment of hospital waste is fully entrusted to the establishment by the Bureau, specifically the EMB Central Office as the issuing Office.
The EMB-7 also said that all valid Permit to Transport issued to DCECI are suspended pending the resolution of the said case.
The affected hospitals are told to contact other accredited service providers in the disposal of their hospital wastes. – Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon, Rowena Capistrano, John Kendrick P. Ceciban, USJ-R Intern, GAN (FREEMAN)