MANILA – A House of Representatives measure called to impose a total ban on importing wastes from other countries and the abolition of the Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation (Phividec) Industrial Estate.
Misamis Oriental Representative Juliette Uy said she filed House Bill 9207 on Monday which sought a total ban on the import and export of wastes.
“In these last session days of this 17th Congress, this bill is a symbolic, principled, and loud against any further insults to our national honor and violations of our environment laws,” Uy said.
“Our country is awash with solid wastes, liquefied wastes, and toxic wastes. Our rivers, lakes, seashores, and seas are massively polluted by these wastes. Our cities, factories, and homes produce garbage like there’s no tomorrow. We already have a lot of our own garbage. We certainly need not import anymore,” she added.
The filing of the bill was timely following the return of the trash shipments to Canada recently, and the return of 25,000 kilos of electronic waste imported from Hong Kong.
Uy said around 5,000 tons of garbage are yet to be shipped back to South Korea, Australia and Hong Kong, which were currently at the Port of Tagoloan in Misamis Oriental and are set to be brought to Phividec Industrial Estate.
Uy called for the immediate resignation of the entire administration of Phividec Industrial Estate, as it was determined by the House Committees on Good Government and Public Accountability, and Ecology to be liable for illegal importation of trash from South Korea.
“If they refuse to resign, then I will have no recourse but to call for the reduction of the budget of the Phividec to one peso and to file a bill calling for the complete and utter abolition of the Phividec and its takeover by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority,” she said.
“The Phividec has fooled the country enough. The Phividec must be abolished,” added Uy. /PN
