BAGUIO CITY – A local kidney clinic and its hauler were ordered fined by the Cordillera office of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-CAR for violation of existing environmental and anti-toxic substance laws when hundreds of kilos of hazardous waste from the said facility were found dumped in several ridges in La Trinidad and Sablan towns over the last several months.
Reynaldo S. Digamo, EMB-CAR regional director, said the management of the Cordillera Kidney Diagnostic Clinic was imposed a fine of a total of P75,0000 for the violations that it committed to the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) that the agency issued to the facility which ranged from the allowing an unregistered hauler to dispose its hazardous waste among others.
Aside from the fine imposed by the EMB-CAR to the management of the health facility and its hauler Benny Tami-ing, the agency also recommended the filing of violation of the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 6960 or the Anti-Toxic Substance Law against the hazardous waste generator and the hauler before the Pollution Adjudication board (PAB) where in the two parties stand to face the penalty of a total of P160,000 each or more depending on the assessment of the PAB to their violations.
Earlier, some 200 kilos of medical and hazardous waste composed of used syringe, bloodied cottons among others were found by concerned residents dumped in ridges in Shilan, La Trinidad and Sablan, Benguet.
Based on the investigation conducted by the concerned local governments, it was traced that the hazardous medical waste came from the said diagnostic center because the discovered garbage were with the logo and name of the private health facility operating in the city.
Engr. Alex Luis, chief of the EMB-CAR enforcement division, said the appropriate orders are expected to be served to the concerned parties within the ext several days and it will be up to them whether or not to appeal the ruling or submit to the jurisdiction of the PAB.
The EMB-CAR foud out that the clinic’s hauler was not accreiddted with the environment department which is one of the major requirements of the law to guarantee the appropriate disposal of the generated hazardous medical waste.
Digamo claimed the clinic management and the hauler were given the chance to air their side on the issue before the agency decided the fines that will be imposed on them after the discovery of the generated hazardous medical waste dumped in the ridges in La Trinidad and Sablan.
He said that the penalty imposed by the agency should serve as a warning for similarly situated health facilities and their haulers to strictly adhere to the provisions of the ECCs issued to them and pertinent rules and regulations governing their operations and the proper disposal of their hazardous medical waste.
He called on concerned citizens who witness the alleged illegal dumping of hazardous wastes in the different ridges regionwide to report the matter to the concerned government agencies and local governments that shall conduct the investigation on the matter for the imposition of fines and peanlties against violators. By HENT
