AFTER complying with the requirements of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR), the Pollution Abatement Systems Specialists Inc. (Passi) has resumed its operation of collecting infectious medical waste.
Lawyer Paul Gino Lopez, Chief Administrative Officer of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), said Passi had collected their medical waste since the night of Jan. 24, Thursday.
“3,076 kilograms, plus another collection of 2,862 kilos—that was the collection. The 3,000-plus last night (Jan. 24). The 2,862, this morning buntag (Jan. 25),” he said.
EMB Director Metodio Turdella signed Passi’s Treatment, Storage and Disposal (TSD) Registration Certificate permitting it “to maintain/operate as TSD facility” for pathological or infectious wastes on Jan. 24, 2019, granting that Passi complied with all the requirements of Republic Act 6969 or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990, its implementing rules, and the Procedural Manual for Hazardous Wastes Management.
Passi had not operated in the past six months after it committed a violation when it failed to place labels on medical wastes last year, but this error had since been corrected.
Irene Doñoso, Passi’s pollution control officer, confirmed to SunStar Cebu that they had collected medical wastes from VSMMC on Jan. 24 and 25.
“The moment the permit was approved was as good as Day 1 of operations already,” she said.
Asked if they had started collecting medical wastes from their other hospital clients in Cebu City, she said that as of Jan. 25, they had catered ony to VSMMC.
“Sotto only so far, because they are the only ones to have requested us,” said Doñoso.
She added that Passi is working on maintaining the good condition of its facility. (Wenilyn Sabalo, USJ-R Intern)