Petition updateReturn Canada Trash Senate Bill to Jail Liberal Party who approve Canada investor of trash export; Canada violated Basel Convention Waste Control Act; Jail Custom and DENR government officials disposing trash to Capaz Tarlac and other Philippine landfill2015July 16, VIDEO | PNoy’s townmates peeved over Canadian waste in Tarlac landfill
Jam FlorDapitan, Philippines
5 Aug 2015 — By: Erwin Tulfo, News5 July 16, 2015 2:23 PM Heterogenous wastes from Canada. (Photo: change.org) InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5 Townmates of President Benigno Aquino III in Capas, Tarlac expressed disappointment after the municipality was made the dumping ground of wastes from Canada even as operators of the landfill, in a surprise move, suddenly paid the long overdue taxes it owed the local government amounting to P.5 million on Monday after the waste issue was revealed. The Capas LGU had long wanted the landfill closed due to numerous violations, adding that there were no consultations and it was unaware that tons of waste from Canada will be dumped in the community. Virgilio Gomez, municipal administrator, said the town was united in opposing the entry of suspected toxic and hazardous wastes from Canada. Furthermore, he asked, “What is something in that waste that cannot be dumped in Canada?” The Metro Clark Waste Management Corporation (MCWMC), which operates the sanitary landfill, has confirmed reports that 29 of 50 container vans of the Canadian waste, which have been festering in the Port of Manila since 2013, had been dumped in Capas. However, the firm claimed the disposed waste contained no toxic or hazardous materials. A News5 team tried to enter the landfill but was stopped by a security guard. In a phone interview, Darwin Chan, general manager of MCWMC, insisted that it was not their decision to take the garbage. Chan said the decision to dump the waste in Capas was made by the Bureau of Customs, following an order issued by the Manila Regional Trial Court. MCWMC said it charges P900 per ton of waste brought into the landfill but ZIM Integrated Shipping, owner of the containers, will shoulder the payment, according to the BOC. The BOC confirmed that the court ordered the waste be brought to Capas but the criminal case against importer Chronic Plastics Inc. will continue. Chronic Plastics has been charged for breach of the Tariff and Customs Code and the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act. In June 2013, Customs officials discovered that 50 container vans contained waste instead of recyclable plastics. In November last year, a waste assessment and character study conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources showed heterogenous, or mixed wastes, made up of household wastes, unrecyclable plastics, broken bottles and electronic wastes. The agency had also said earlier that the hazardous waste should be shipped back in accordance with the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes. Groups were hoping that President Aquino will discuss the waste issue with the Canadian Prime Minister when they met in Canada in May 2015 but this never happened. After President Aquino’s state visit to Canada, the DENR made a sudden turnaround and announced that the waste is not toxic and could be disposed in the country. Aquino’s townmates are now disgruntled that they have to contend with the foreign wastes. Here’s a News5 video report by Erwin Tulfo: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/114310/video--pnoys-townmates-peeved-over-canadian-wastes-in-tarlac-landfill
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