The
presidential confirmation that the controversial hazardous mixed garbage from
Canada will be incinerated in the Philippines drew immediate condemnation from
the country’s advocates for clean air and zero waste.
President Benigno S. Aquino III last Saturday told reporters on board
Philippine Airlines that the 50 container vans of wastes, “considered hazardous”
as stated by the president, will be disposed of through incineration as soon as
a court order has been secured.
“What a total let down! The people’s plea
for Mr. Aquino to stand up for our sovereign right not to be treated as a dumping
ground fell on deaf ears with the president himself giving the thumbs up for Canada’s
unlawful garbage exports to be incinerated if so directed by the court. It’s a bizarre stance coming from a country with
a gargantuan garbage problem to deal with and we deplore it,” stated Aileen
Lucero, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition, which is steadfastly pushing for
the enforcement of the Clean Air Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management
Act.
of statements urging Aquino to use the State Visit to secure Canada’s
commitment to re-import their garbage and not to allow for their disposal in
local landfills, incinerators or cement kilns.
Pabillo, Chairperson of the Public Affairs Committee of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines, who said “no community deserves to be a dumping
ground for wastes and toxics.”
Instead of getting Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s nod to abide by his
government’s responsibility to re-import the illegal waste shipment of mixed
plastics, e-wastes and residual rubbish, including adult diapers, President
Aquino chose to kowtow to Canada’s pressure to have their trash disposed of locally, environmentalists
lamented.
“Is this the trade-off our people have to pay for Canada’s investment pledges resulting
from Aquino’s state visit? Is this how
spineless our leaders have become that they can easily forget about our
national dignity and well-being and succumb to Canada’s pressure in exchange
for more investments?,” asked Lucero.
“Already, conceding to Canada’s disregard of international and local laws
manifests P-Noy’s inferior mentality but to suggest that Canada’s waste be sent
to burn in cement kilns for ‘treatment’ indicates this administration’s absence
of care for our clean air and ecological solid waste management laws. This is truly unacceptable,” said Paeng
Lopez, Campaigner, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).
“No community deserves the kind of toxic emissions it will be exposed to once
these wastes are burned in cement kilns that are not subjected to statutory
emissions standards that waste incinerators all over the world keep
failing. Reading between the lines the
message we get from P-Noy is clear: we are subservient to Canada so much so
that we are willing to do it at the expense of our own health,” he added.
the controversial garbage shipment “falls squarely within the prohibited
prohibitions” under RA 6969, the “Toxic Substances and Hazardous and
Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990,” and DENR Administrative Order No. 28,
Series of 1994, the “Interim Guidelines for the Importation of Recyclable Materials
Containing Hazardous Substances.”
Ang Nars Party-List, Ateneo School of Government, Ban Toxics, EcoWaste
Coalition, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, Green Convergence,
Greenpeace, Mother Earth Foundation and other organizations have insisted that
Canada’s garbage shipment is in breach of R.A. 6969 and the “Basel Convention
on the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and Their Disposal.”
Zero waste groups have also stated that Canada’s garbage shipment contravenes
Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which prohibits
the importation of toxic wastes misrepresented as “recyclable” or “with
recyclable content.”