Laguna firm pays heavily for dumping toxic wastes

GMANews.TV

MANILA, Philippines — A company bearing the name “clean earth" was ordered to pay a P7.4-million fine for dumping 900 metric tons of toxic wastes into in different places in Quezon province in 2006.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) also barred Clean Earth Solutions International Inc. (CESII), a company based in San Pablo City, Laguna, from resuming its operations.

In a three-page order, the DENR’s Pollution Adjudication Board (PAB) said it was allowing the company a limited operation “only for the purpose of treating the remaining waste inside the compound."

The DENR issued a cease-and-desist order (CDO) against CESII on October 5, 2006 after it was found to have buried 400 drums of hazardous wastes near a creek, in an agricultural lot, and an abandoned oil recovery facility at barangay Manguilag Norte in Candelaria town and and Sitio Liberty and Sitio Central in barangay Concepcion 1, Sariaya town.

Dumping of toxic wastes is a gross violation of the Clean Air Act.

Also named respondents in the case were spouses Sabas and Helen Ilagan, who claimed they were commissioned by engineer Salvador Llave Jr., managing head of CESII, to illegally dispose the hazardous wastes.

The DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in the Calabarzon region, acting on the complaint of environment group Tanggol Kalikasan, conducted on September 26, 2006 an initial investigation into the illegal dumping of hazardous wastes in an agricultural lot in barangay Manguilag Norte.

During the investigation, authorities found drums purportedly containing sulfuric acid with generator’s name Procter and Gamble Philippines located at LISP-1 Cabuyao in Laguna, and a permit to transport.


Tracing from their records, the EMB-Calabrzon said that the PTT number noted from the label of the confiscated drums of toxic wastes was issued for transport of 5,000 kilograms of sulfuric acid and 5,000 kilograms of mixed acid (B299) for treatment and disposal at CESII.

On September 27, the EMB-Calabazron conducted another investigation and confirmed the existence of hazardous wastes dumped or drained into a series of holes excavated in a lot.

The EMB-Calabarzon discovered other names of waste generators such as Union Carbide, BASF Philippines, Solvetech Consultancy Resources Inc., and scad Services Ltd.

On September 29 of the same year, the EMB-Calabarzon went to validate reports of similar illegal activity in Sariaya and found the two sites purportedly utilized as dumpsites for hazardous wastes. The operation also yielded 410 empty drums, and 55 drums still containing toxic wastes.

At sitio Liberty, the toxic wastes were found dumped into four excavated holes, while at sitio Central, the toxic wastes were discovered near a creek.

The EMB-Calabarzon said that based on their records, the waste generators identified through the recovered containers of toxic wastes in Sariaya have an exclusive contract with CESII.

Although the CESII reported on October 4, 2006 that several drums from their backyard were stolen, the DENR-PAB noted that the company was not able to submit evidence to support its report.