HOSPITAL waste was found at a private property in Barangay Inayawan in Cebu City.
Some officials of Cebu City Hall received a complaint from a resident in Barangay Inayawan that his property was being used as a junkyard by a certain Ronald Abay-abay Villaver.
Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification and Enhancement (Probe) chief Raquel Arce said upon receiving the complaint, she, together with Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (Ceset) head Grace Luardo and City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) head Editha Peros conducted an inspection of the area.
“We found out in the area that it’s not ordinary garbage, but hospital waste,” said Arce.
Arce said they found syringes and dextrose injection in the area.
Arce said they tried to connect with Villaver to ask which hospital the waste came from, but Arce said he was “uncooperative.”
However, the officials found a used dextrose injection which had the name of the hospital. Arce said it was a hospital located in Bohol.
Inayawan Barangay Captain Kirk Bryan Repollo said the barangay has already issued a certificate to file action against Villaver but only for trespassing as that was the only complaint that reached the barangay.
Repollo said after learning that hospital waste was dumped in the area, he will take action against Villaver.
Cebu City Councilor Eduardo Rama Jr. said Villaver was notorious for doing such deeds.
Rama, committee on public services chairman, said he also received the same complaint, adding that hospital waste was found at a property beside the property of Pollution Abatement System Specialists Inc. (Passi), the firm in charge of transporting, storing and disposing of such garbage.
Councilor Phillip Zafra, former barangay captain of Tisa, said Villaver also did the same thing before in Tisa.
“Finally, nakit-an ko na siya. Naghugaw-hugaw sad na siya’s Tisa,” said Zafra.
The Cebu City Council will conduct a special session to discuss the matter, inviting Cenro, Inayawan barangay officials, Villaver, Department of Public Services (DPS) head John Jigo Dacua, City Health Department (CHD) officer-in-charge Jeffrey Ibones, and representative from the Department of Health (DOH).
Rama said that does not only affect the barangay, but also the entire city, adding Villaver was allegedly known for littering.
SunStar Cebu tried to reach Peros to ask what would be the measure of Cenro regarding this, but as of this writing, Peros has not responded.
Councilor James Anthony Cuenco asked Cenro to further conduct an investigation on the matter so proper sanctions will be imposed.
Republic Act 6969 or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990 regulates the importation, manufacture, processing, distribution, use, transport, treatment, and disposal of toxic substances and hazardous and nuclear wastes. (JJL)