THE burning issue of the day, or should I say the week, is not the barb politicians hurled at each other going into the May 13 polls but the garbage, particularly the hazardous and infectious waste of hospitals.
Medical waste found by concerned citizens weeks ago floating off the shores of Barangay Ibo, Lapu-Lapu City put local government officials, as well as the officials of the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) 7 of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 on their toes.
After so much hullabaloo from the media, EMB 7 last week called officials of the concerned hospitals and the contractor hired to collect the trash to a technical conference. As a result, EMB 7 imposed fines on the hospital and the contractor for their handling of the medical waste. EMB 7, though, is yet to conclude its investigation on who threw the medical wastes into the sea.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza was right when she said that the hospital, even if it outsourced the disposal of its waste, still has the obligation to monitor them. Mind you, EMB rules and guidelines on the disposal of hazardous and infectious waste is very rigorous and strenuous and compliance is complex.
But it is just right that the rules and regulations in the transport, storage and disposal of hazardous and infectious waste must be firm, rigid and strictly complied with because it has great effect on the environment and the people’s health if indiscriminately disposed of.
A report in this paper stated that the Mandaue City Government has issued a cease-and-desist order (CDO) against Davao City Environmental Care Inc. (DCECI), which was hired by Chong Hua Hospital and Cancer Center to dispose of its medical waste, for alleged violation of the city’s ordinances. The report did not state, though, if the CDO was signed by the city mayor.
Be that as it may, I wish that this problem would be settled to the best interest of the people’s health and the environment. EMB 7 Regional Director William Cuñado suggested, in an interview, that hospitals look for other accredited contractors to dispose of their waste.
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Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña painted a stark image of the city’s economy without the habal-habal or motorcycle-for-hire (MCH) during the committee hearing in Congress on the move to amend RA 4136, or the Transportation and Traffic Code, to allow the use of motorcycles for public transportation. Rep. Raul del Mar sponsored the amendment.
Habal-habal operators and drivers are lucky to have Osmeña as their spokesman at the hearing. Habal-habals were affected by the order of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to apprehend Angkas, a group that aims to professionalize the operation of motorcycles-for-hire in the country.
But the mayor’s critics consider his move as politically motivated because of the coming elections. In other words, Tomas outraced his opponents on this issue.
Habal-habal operation came about because there are not enough PUJs to serve the city’s swelling population. Habal-habal is more convenient and faster mode of transportation in the mountain barangays and also in the city because of the unbearable traffic now.