A LAWMAKER at the House of Representatives on Monday urged concerned government agencies to address the policy gaps in waste management that made the country as “foreigners’ dumping ground”.
Misamis Oriental Rep. Juliette Uy said companies abroad who dump their garbage in the Philippines have local collaborators that take advantage of procedural and discretionary loopholes in waste recycling regulations, as well as waste-to-energy policies.
“They are able to import the garbage and are complicit in making our country the foreigners' dumping ground because they take advantage of government regulations and loopholes,” Uy said. “I strongly urge the DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources], Bureau of Customs, and Department of Trade and Industry to review the laws and regulations these importers are taking advantage of.”
Uy warned that others may just use the garbage as a disguise or cover to import other contraband like illegal drugs.
She said there may be insiders at DENR, Department of Trade and Industry, and Customs who are “intimately familiar” with the regulations and procedures and are conniving with the importers and consignees.
“The foreign companies and the importers cannot possibly carry out their schemes without the collaboration of insiders,” she said. “Careful scrutiny of the documents could lead to the discovery of patterns like money trail, signatories, date and time stamps, favorite freight forwarders, and other indicators of modus operandi.” (By Filane Mikee Cervantes)
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