BENGUET prosecutors in La Trinidad on July 19 received three cases filed by the Tuba police against Baguio Medical Center (BMC) and contractor Onofre Calam-ang.
Tuba Municipal Police Chief Inspector James Acod said they have filed violation of Republic Act (RA) 9003 known as the Solid Waste Management Act, RA 6969 or the Toxic and Hazardous Waste Act and RA 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.
The owner of the 5,000 square meters lot where the hospital wastes were found initially allowed the use of his lot as dumping site for soil. However, on the latter days, it was observed the contractor dumped mixed hospital waste.
An inspection was conducted on July 12 at the area by the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources and Engineering Office of Tuba and Tabaan Norte Barangay Captain Juan Sibayan where they further asked the contractor to clean the wastes.
Workers however, failed to complete the clean–up.
A technical conference is set on August 1 as part of the process in the administrative case filed by Environmental Management Bureau-Cordillera (EMB-CAR) citing three complaints on the violation on Toxic, Hazardous and Nuclear Act of 1990 (RA 6969), Clean Water Act (RA No. 9265) and violation in the Environmental Compliance Certificate (PD 1586) against the hospital.
The medical center has yet to release statement on the matter as they are taking steps to prevent the same occurrence in the future.
Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan is pinning the blame on BMC’s contractor in the midst of the uproar over hospital waste dumped in nearby Tuba.
Domogan on Wednesday said he believes it is best to call the hospital contractor for clarification over the indiscriminate dumping of toxic hospital waste at a creek and private lots in both areas.
“Let us help each other,” the mayor said.
Tuba Mayor Ignacio Rivera furnished Domogan copies of the hospital waste dumped along Marcos Highway in a bid to enjoin the city to help in the cleanup.
Hospital waste like dextrose sets, syringes of different sizes with needles and wrappings, empty fluid packs, vials, semitransparent rubber tubes and other medical operation waste were dumped in a 5,000 square meter lot with some of the waste reaching the Najeng River of Tabaan Norte, main contributory river of the Tapuakan River in Pugo, La Union.
The RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act mandates 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.
Earlier, residents filed complained and asked the retrieval of the waste to abate communities be affected in Diyang, Pi-ig, Shumshang, Bakbakan, Nabjeng, Toybongan, Parasipis, Tapuakan, Pugo La Union who depends on the said bodies of water.