THE 51 containers of illegal garbage languishing at the Mindanao International Container Terminal (MICT) in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, were finally shipped back Sunday to South Korea where the assorted wastes came from several months ago.
However, Aileen Lucero national coordinator of environmental group EcoWaste Coalition quickly pointed out “the struggle for environmental justice, morality and the rule of law is not yet over” as there are still 5,176.91 tons of bulk waste lying on and waiting to be shipped out of the country in a government land in Barangay Santa Cruz, Tagoloan.
But still, EcoWaste Coalition cited the departure of the illegal garbage exports from South Korea is a “triumph for environmental justice, morality and the rule of law.”
During the ceremonial send-off rites held at the MICT, Lucero asserted “the waste shipments violated Korean and Philippine customs and environmental laws, as well as the Basel Convention,” and “sending the garbage back to its origin is only just, moral and lawful.”
The Quezon City-based toxic watchdog sent a 15-member delegation to witness the send-off ceremony of illegally transported mixed waste.
“Our resolute stance to get the garbage returned to its sender shows how much we, the Filipino people, want our fragile ecosystems to be protected against the adverse effects of waste trafficking, which is a serious threat to our people’s lives, their health and the environment,” Lucero said.
Emphasizing their stance against waste trafficking, activists from the EcoWaste Coalition and various civil society groups from Davao City prominently brandished a banner with the words “stop exporting garbage to the Philippines.” (Chito Chavez)
