BAGUIO CITY – A local legislator wants the Cordillera offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-CAR) and the Department of Health (DOH-CAR) to regularly provide the local government with records of permitted waste transporters and waste treaters and furnish waste transport records and other reports required of health-care waste generators and of permitted transporter, storage and disposal facility operators in the city.
In his proposed resolution, Councilor Peter Fianza stated that like any other local government, Baguio can effectively help in further finding the implementation of the other mandated actions under its Environment Code if it will be provided with reports required of health-care waste generators and DENR-permitted transfer, storage and disposal (TSD) facility operators, such as the waste transport record and the registry of waste transporters and waste treaters as directed under Republic Act (RA) No. 6969 and its implementing rules and regulations.
The resolution added local governments can effectively help implement health-care waste regulations and guidelines especially on private TSD facility operators within the city as well as hospitals and other health-care waste generators whose general waste or waste generated from the maintenance of their premises are dealt in accordance with the local waste disposal system.
The resolution claimed the local government has volunteered to coordinate with the DENR-CAR and the DOH-CAR in monitoring strict compliance by hazardous and toxic waste generators in storage and disposal of waste in accordance with RA No. 6969 and the joint DENR-DOH Administrative Order No. 2, series of 2005 as provided under Section 211 of Ordinance No. 18, series of 2016, or the city’s Environment code.
Despite the stringent provisions, the local legislative body passed Resolution No. 264, series of 2018 urging the DOH-CAR and the DENR-CAR to conduct immediate monitoring, inspection and evaluation on waste disposal of hospitals in the Cordillera.
The resolution admitted the waste disposal of hospitals referred to in the aforesaid resolution pertains to health-care waste, which the joint DENR-DOH order particularly addressed using policies and guidelines on effective and proper handling, collection, transport, treatment, storage and disposal of health-care waste.
Under the joint order, the DENR through the Environmental Management Bureau of its regional offices is tasked to, among others, formulate policies, standards, and guidelines on the transport, treatment, storage and disposal of health-care waste and oversee compliance by generators, transporters, treatment, storage and disposal facility operators or final disposal facility operators with the proper transport, treatment, storage, and disposal of health-care waste. The DOH is tasked to, among others, formulate policies, standards, guidelines, systems and procedures in the management of health-care waste, provide technical assistance in the preparation of health-care waste management plan as a requirement for licensing or the renewal thereof and require all health-care waste TSD facility operators and health-care waste generators with on-site waste treatment facilities to use DOH Bureau of Health Devices and Technology-registered equipment or devices for the treatment of health-care waste.
By Dexter A. See
