AUTHORITIES discovered Monday morning, July 16, 2018, the presence of hospital waste materials dumped in Sitio Bayaksan, Taloy Sur, Tuba, Benguet.
In a radio interview, Chief Inspector James Acod of the Tuba Municipal Police Station confirmed the information from residents in the area.
“Based on the report of our investigator who responded to the scene, they confirmed the presence of these hospital waste materials in the area and we will be furnishing Mayor Ignacio Rivera with the comprehensive report,” Acod stated.
Initial investigation revealed syringes and hospital equipment used for operation were mixed with the mud which was thrown by an elf truck.
“We are now in the process of identifying what hospital and contractor these waste materials came from,” Acod said.
The waste materials were reported to have been dumped three days before it was discovered.
“The identified contractor may face a case of violation of RA 9003 and other laws related to this,” Acod added.
Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act was crafted in response to the looming garbage problems in the country.
Under the law, hospital administrators, particularly of private hospitals are urged to strictly implement waste segregation and to deal only with waste treatment facilities and transporters accredited by the Environmental Management Bureau to ensure the health and safety of the people.
Hospital owners are also ordered to take cognizance of two laws that govern the disposal of wastes, RA 8749 or the Clean Air Act and RA 9003. The Clean Air Act prohibits the burning of bio-medical wastes and requires the phase out of existing incinerators by July 2003. It also provides for the setting up of treatment facilities that will treat their waste before final disposal.
The Eco-Waste Management Act requires proper segregation, recycling and composting of the non-infectious fraction of the waste stream.