Customs studying options on Canada waste

We write with reference to a letter by Aileen Lucero, national coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition, which was published last Sept. 5. Lucero cited an article (“‘To decongest Manila port, send back trash, diaper cargo to Canada,’” Metro, 8/27/14), where the acting chief of the Bureau of Customs’ public information and assistance division, Charo Logarta Lagamon, was quoted as saying, “Our proposal is to just dispose of this here.” Both the letter and the article refer to a shipment of 50 container vans of waste materials from Canada.

To be clear, the primary goal of the Bureau of Customs is still to send the 50 containers of waste back to Canada. That position has not changed. But we are taking our cue from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as the lead agency in championing national and international environmental laws.

It is the DENR, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs, that is directly in contact with Environment Canada.

However, to put the bureau’s stand in the proper context, the destruction of the waste materials is just an option given that these containers have been in the Manila International Container Port for a year. While concerned Philippine government agencies coordinate with their counterparts in Canada, the waste materials continue to rot, and leachate from these continue to pose a risk to public health. Moreover, given the current state of congestion at the MICP, removing 50 containers would be a big help in unclogging the country’s biggest port.

It is therefore prudent on the part of the bureau to look into all possible options and contingencies to remove these waste materials, prevent further risks to public health and decongest the port. These options do include disposing of the waste in the country. But we cannot take any action on these containers of waste without directions from the DENR.

We continue to work with our partner government agencies in resolving this problem. But we are worried that the deterioration of the waste materials is outpacing the diplomatic and legal processes required to get these out of the country.

Rest assured that we are one with the EcoWaste Coalition in wanting to resolve this problem as soon as possible.

—ARIEL F. NEPOMUCENO, deputy commissioner, Bureau of Customs