The Canadian Garbage Mess (Update No. 3)

THE CANADIAN GARBAGE MESS (Update No.3)

By Anton Antonio

August 18, 2015

“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything” --- Albert Einstein

I got side-tracked by recent series of blogs on the presidential and vice-presidential aspirants for 2016 and the death of former Tarlac Governor Mariano Un Ocampo III and former Senator Agapito “Butz” Aquino.  This, however, does not mean I’ve taken my eyes off the Canadian garbage mess.  For the evil people who are responsible for this, I could almost hear them say: “Jesus Christ!... This guy is on the warpath again!  Why can’t he just keep quiet and accept the trash like most Filipinos!”

To update everyone, here is my latest researched material on the Canadian garbage mess: 

“Manila, Philippines – Amis the continuing controversy surrounding more than 50 container vans of illegally imported and allegedly hazardous Canadian garbage, activists lawmakers have filed a bill that would put an end to the dumping of hazardous foreign wastes in the country.  House Bill 5578, files by Representatives Luz Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus of Gabriela, and Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna, would amend Republic Act 6969 or The Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990.  It also seeks to strengthen the system of waste control and management.  “The outdated law imposes meagre fines for waste dumping and poses threat to those who wish to make a dumping site out of the Philippines,” the lawmakers noted.  “We hope that the leadership of both Houses of Congress sees this as an urgent measure that needs to be passed.”  “We also wish to amend this law so that this weakling of a government that is bereft of the political will to arrest and penalize those who dump toxins and garbage in our country will have no more excuse to run after those who treat our country and our people like garbage,” they added.  Earlier, Zarate and fellow Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares sought an investigation into the importation of at least 55 container vans of trash from Canada, which arrived in 2013.  To date, trash from 26 of the 55 container vans has been dumped at the landfill in Capas, Tarlac, eight are currently parked near the area and five are missing.  The rest are at Subic.  HB 5578 wants to amend Section 12 of RA 6969, raising the fines for those found guilty of dumping toxic waste in the country from the current P5,000-15,000 to P15,000-75,000.  For companies with a capital over P500,000, the fines start at P75,000 but will not exceed P300,000 for each violation.  Ilagan also said that there is a need to review the country’s commitment, to various trade agreements that allow end-of-life products from highly industrialized countries, dubbed as “surplus imports” to freely enter the country.”

Some pro-environment advocates and activist want to add a “guaranteed deterrent” tweak to House Bill No. 5578.  Obviously not satisfied by simply increasing the fines, they propose that a kilo of trash for every ton of garbage be cooked and have the importers and other persons guilty of dumping garbage in the Philippines publicly eat this in Plaza Miranda.  This, perhaps, will really be a guaranteed deterrent to another Canadian garbage mess.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

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REFERENCE:

Interaksyon.com, (2015).  Retrieved on August 18, 2015 from http://www.interaksyon.com/article/114568/bill-seeks-to-ban-foreign-waste-dumping-in-country