MISAMIS Oriental Provincial Board Member Gerardo "Boboy" Sabal is calling on the South Korean government to hasten the shipment of the remaining 5,100 tons of garbage back to South Korea.

Last week, Customs officials and other local officials here witnessed the dry run for the loading of the garbage dumped at Verde Soko Compound, Sitio Bugwak, Barangay Santa Cruz, Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. This is in preparation of the actual loading of garbage to a Korean vessel.

Sabal said he hopes the garbage will be shipped altogether this month.

"Within the month among gusto para mahuman na gyud na nga problema (We hope the shipment will be done this month to end all our problems)," Sabal said.

Sabal added that the inter-agency task force agreed that the garbage shipment should all be shipped in one vessel.

The first batch of hazardous waste materials illegally shipped to Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental were finally sent back to South Korea in January 2019.

Placed in 51 containers, the 1,400 tons of garbage that arrived at the Mindanao International Container Terminal were returned to Korea after an agreement was reached between the two countries last December 2018.

The remaining 5,100 tons of garbage will be balled and compacted in preparation for the shipment anytime this year.